A baby, a buggy and a boat

Nesting - better late that never

2011-05-09T05:14:00.000-04:00

This is truly the life... sitting in a cafe in our local town; I've dropped Coco at nursery, there is pot of tea just for me, I've submitted an article, I am writing a blog and simply watching the world go by. The view doesn't quite match up to the balcony vista that we left behind a week ago, but the bustling high street of our small Wessex town with the bunting fluttering after the royal festivities isn't bad at all.

It has been busy - as ever - when does life slow down, even just for a second? Coco was a dream on her sixteenth trans-Atlantic flight. She knows the score now not even trying to get off my lap, which is unheard of when we aren't on a plane, asleep within half an hour of take off and then I woke her up as we were landing. Not quite such a comfortable flight for me however due to the fact that Coco is officially too big for my lap for eight hours straight! It will be a seat next time, a sad admission for our wallets but a huge relief for my femurs!

Now we are home, it is the exciting countdown to moving into our new home. With less than two weeks to go I am frantically sorting clothes, paining furniture, buying fridges and booking broadband. I have mentioned before that Coco has never had her own room and only ever slept in a travel cot. I am sure you all know just how much I love our life and how lucky I know we are, however, the one thing I feel like I missed out on was the preparations of the nursery before Coco was born. I am now loving getting everything ready for her, what I hope will be lovely, room.

I am revamping an old chest of drawers that I picked up at a local auction, updating a cot given to us by my nieces having been used by both of them and designing murals for her wall. I have heaps of work at the moment but I resent loosing the time to prepare for our move. I want to be sewing and sanding and making lovely things - as always, not enough hours in the day!

There are just about enough hours to make sure we make up for lost time by having lots of walks with our darling Buster. The dynamic duo are together again and already causing lots of trouble!

What a week!

2011-04-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

Before I start, I just want to share my extreme excitement with you at my having being nominated for a MAD Blog Award! It is a complete surprise, I am gobsmacked, flabbergasted and utterly over excited about it. For those of you who don't know about the Mummy's and Daddy's Bloggers Oscar's, click on the button on this page and take a look. Who'd have thought that Baby, Buggy, Boat would even be considered for a nomination alongside some of the extraordinary talent there is amongst the parent bloggers out there. Apparently this is an inspirational blog! What-da-ya-know! Whoever it was that has enjoyed reading about our adventures enough to nominate us, a heartfelt 'thank you'. You made my weekend!

There is so much to fill you in on I am struggling to know where to start. After a nasty tumble in the pool last week, we signed Coco up for some more lessons to rebuild her confidence. It has worked a treat and she is loving being back in the water. Both Angus and I are also loving learning the exercises to really help get her swimming. She is just starting to kick at last and so we are able to let go of her now and she makes way underwater. She will hang onto the wall on her own, spider-crawl along it to the steps and climb out. Big progress so I am going to have to be sure I keep it up when we get back to the UK next week. I can not tell you what a relief it will be to actually have her swimming and it feels like we are getting close now.

We had a truly glorious Easter weekend. I did a fun-run to raise money for a local guy who needs a back operation to get him walking again. We ran at sunrise up to an old fort at Shirley Heights, enjoyed the stunning views from the top and then ran back down again. It was hot and hard but such good fun. I ran with a friend and colleague of Angus's and it felt good to start the weekend doing something virtuous.

We were invited to spend Easter Sunday morning with some friends who were hosting a brunch party. After collecting the eggs the Easter Bunny had left in our little garden (we had to get out there very early so they didn't melt!) and enjoying an early breakfast of Cheerios and chocolate (!) we headed down the hill to our friends house. Brunch was more muffins and bucks fizz, followed by more bucks fizz, followed by lots of fizz but by this stage we abandoned the fruit juice. It wasn't even lunchtime when we wobbled home giggling all the way.

It is Antigua's famous Sailing Week at the moment so we have spent a few evening at Nelsons Dockyard absorbing the party atmosphere. Coco and Uncle Gaby had a dance-off to the islands top band - Itchy Feet - on Monday. When I say 'dance-off' they both span around like loons and jumped about like a pair of over excited frogs. Extremely funny to watch, I wish I had got it on video.

Our bit of drama for the week was on Monday evening when the boats crew up to the house for a BBQ. We had a lovely evening with everyone; good food, wine and beer, swimming and chatting and had just settled down to tell embarrassing stories when the boats watch-keeper called Angus to tell him that the sailing yacht right alongside them was on fire! Now, if you imagine a marina, all the boats are very close to each other, and I'm not sure how much you know about boats but they burn well - and quickly. I have never seen Angus move so fast! Grabbing half the crew, they jumped in the car and hotfooted it down to the harbour. (Angus hadn't been drinking by the way, he's very responsible like that)

All was well, but not before Angus and his crew had fought the fire along with ABSAR - the Antiguan rescue team, the fire-brigade and other surrounding boat crews. Sadly, S/Y Titan, the boat that was on fire, was pretty much destroyed but nobody was hurt and no other boats were affected. To read more check out this report in Dockwalk.

So an eventful week! We should be back in the UK by now but Angus's plans changed, the boat is staying a little longer and who wants to rush back from the Caribbean? So we've changed our flight and have a few extra days in paradise... lucky, lucky us.

Silent Sunday

2011-04-24T14:47:00.000-04:00

Tantrums and Tiaras

2011-04-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

The Antigua Classics Sailing Regatta has been and gone. It has been a busy week for the boat with racing, race crew to entertain, the owner and his guests onboard, the organisation, the logistics and the level of service is phenomenal. Not only that but these boys (and girls) pull it off whilst making it look effortless and stress-free. These superyacht guys know their stuff I tell ya.

I managed to blag a ride on the chase boat one day (a speed boat that follows the sailboat in case one of the race crew go overboard and it does happen sometimes!) because it was Uncle Gaby's turn to drive. Although you don't get the thrill of sailing, it really is the best seat in the house, plus I had the added advantage of spending a very pleasant day with my brother and his friend and colleague, Dallas. Here are some of this years photos:

Coco and I have had the pleasure of being included in some of the cocktail parties, bbq's and crew dinners that come hand-in-hand with regattas so feel full of good food, lovely company and rum! Not for Coco obviously, although it may have helped as we have had a week filled with some humdinger tantrums.

We have definitely moved into a new phase. The funny, feisty, good humoured Coco is still there for I would guess about 80% of the time but then she is replaced by demon child for the other 20%. The tantrums come from nowhere, there doesn't seem to be a reason for them but they are violent and so, so loud! She quickly gets herself into a frenzy and it would seem that nothing will calm her. She doesn't want anyone near her and yet she doesn't want to be left alone. The other day it was about 40 minutes before she eventually shook herself out of it, but this is the amazing thing, when recovers she is then back to normal in moments, if not a little croaky due to the screaming! It is completely bizarre.

Who knows the best way to cope with these situations but I refuse to reward her behaviour with treats when she is screaming her head off, and of course I comfort her but again, cuddles and mollycoddling seems wrong when it is being demanded in such a way. Do I sound harsh, should I scoop her up, give her chocolate and tell her it is ok to get attention in that way? I have taken to the tactic of sitting with her and chatting to her but not really invading her space, she doesn't want me to anyway. She does work through it herself, with a little bit of gentle encouragement, and will hopefully soon see these passionate outbursts as a waste of both time and energy. Having had one a day for three or four consecutive days we have gone for 48 hours now without one so maybe we are making a breakthrough. Or maybe this is the calm before the storm!

Nevertheless, we have still had some fun times over the last few days and here are the photos to prove it. You would think that butter wouldn't melt...

Do you have a toddler the likes the odd tantrum and how to you handle it?

Even The Caribbean Has Its Downsides

2011-04-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

I have just kept down the first food to have passed my lips in over 24 hours and I am really hoping it is going to give me some strength. It is common, at this time of year, for a stomach bug to sweep through the island of Antigua. Something to do with the dry weather and then the rain coming - I'm not sure though so don't quote me on that. Anyway, it always happens. Last year we managed to watch from a distance as we heard of people getting ill, there was even the terrible meningitis tragedy which shocked every parent to the core. This year we haven't escaped completely unscathed.

Angus was ill last week and I hate to confess to the fact that I thought he could have been a bit braver. For two days he could hardly communicate, was listless and had a terrible stomach. On one hand I was really worried because I had never seen anyone that ill, and on the other hand there was a small part of me that wondered if he really was quite as ill as he made out. I have to make this confession public to alleviate some of the guilt because having now experienced the illness myself, I can confirm that yes, he really did feel that ill. I thought I was dying last night when I couldn't stop vomiting, every muscle in my body was screaming at me, my arms, hands and feet were completely numb and I was struggling for breath. I couldn't keep my eyes open but I was convinced that if I closed them I wasn't going to ever wake-up. I normally consider myself to be quite brave but not this time. This bug got me, well and truly.

Enough of this moaning - we are all on the mend although poor Angus is having to cope with crew dropping like flies as well as family. Poor guy, and after my lack of sympathy! Seriously, that man deserves a medal. My only hope is that Coco manages to avoid it. Now I am feeling stronger I am going on a cleaning mission this evening to try and rid the house of all germs!

So again, a public apology to my long suffering husband... I am sorry, you were properly ill and I should have taken you more seriously xxx

Tomorrow

2011-04-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the start of the 2011 Antigua Classics Sailing Regatta - a splendid race which I have had the pleasure of being involved in for the last three years. This, sadly, looks like it might be our last year so I am going to make the most of it and hopefully get more photos like these...

Aren't they beautiful boats?

So here's to tomorrow - GO RANGER!

For more fabulous interpretations of the theme 'tomorrow' go and visit The Gallery over at Sticky Fingers.

Before We Were Mothers

2011-04-12T15:34:00.000-04:00

There is a baby buzz in the air at the moment. You may remember my mentioning months ago that three of my best buddies were having babies this year? Well one is here already (welcome Oscar but I don't think Daddy reads my blog so you will never know that I have publicly welcomed you into the world) and I am waiting with baited breath for news on the arrival of the next bubba (who is stubbornly staying put even though he or she is now 12 days late! It's obviously cozy in there). The third arrival isn't due until July so we would like you to stay right where you are for the time being please.

Anyway, with babies on the brain, there was something in the blog posted yesterday by the brilliant (seriously, she is very funny) 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle, and it got me thinking. She makes reference to taking pictures of her pre-breastfeeding breasts (in this post) and it struck a nerve. She was right, I really wish I had done that, just as a reminder of my former self! I probably don't wish I had actually taken photos but I certainly didn't appreciate them enough. Why didn't I love my boobs more pre-baby? Why didn't I love all of my body more pre-baby? I have always hated my boobs (too big - I know, I should be grateful but I'm not) but actually, two years ago they were bloody lovely! Similarly, my tummy. Never, ever been happy with it. Even in my skinnier times it was never even close to being washboard, but come on! Compared to the the prune-like texture that it is now, kind of like one big elbow, it was so smooth and fairly flat. Why didn't I appreciate you back then oh poor tummy of mine? And let's not even start on the state of my pelvic floors and veiny legs!

So what I have been thinking about is, what would I advise my pre-Mummy self to do knowing what I do now? And so, in turn, my pre-baby friends. (Sorry Beth and Nat, definitely too late for you and possibly even you Ilm xx)

- Wear a bikini and wear it with pride. Those little bits of excess flesh are nothing!
- Show some plump, high, where-it's-supposed-to-be cleavage
- Listen to Radio One (for those of you reading from foreign fields, Radio One is the cool and trendy radio station in the UK)
- Stay in bed and read a book one morning
- Pop out to the shops, you know, just pop out quickly with nothing by your purse
- Wear make-up and take the time to experiment with a new eye-shadow!
- Wear pretty, dangly earrings

There are so many more things I could add. What would you tell your pre-baby self to appreciate before the pitter-patter of tiny feet?

I am going to indulge myself in digging out one of Coco's baby photos for you to enjoy - this is why we do it at the end of the day and isn't she worth it! xx

Silent Sunday

2011-04-10T15:49:00.000-04:00

Unbelievably Grateful For...

2011-04-09T09:54:00.000-04:00

It has be a while since I have linked into the lovely Maxabella's 'Saturday Grateful', but that doesn't mean that I absolutely always am... grateful that is.

So, this week I am grateful for...

Freshly Baked Bread - there is a gorgeous little bakery at the bottom of the hill. It opens at sunrise and there is a cow-bell that hangs outside for when you need to be served. It is nothing more that a hatch in a wall cover in bouganvilla but the beautiful Antiguan woman with perfect skin sells the most delicious baguettes, chocolate croissants and loaves that are so fresh they are still warm. Yummy!

A Resounding Dawn Chorus - I am sure that the dawn chorus is equally as wonderful everywhere in the world, you just don't often tend to hear it. Here, however, we do and it is extraordinarily beautiful. We have no air conditioning in our little house, so the windows are always open and even over the low hum of the ceiling fan, it feels like you are sleeping outside. So as soon as the sun comes up, and the birds are awake, we are able to share with them their joy at the dawning of a new day.

Sunset Swims - It isn't all about the morning. I am just as grateful for the evenings and they are equally as precious and beautiful. It is pretty special to be able to share a family swim together at the end of each day. Ah, big sigh, extremely grateful xx

Tips for flying

2011-04-06T16:16:00.000-04:00

We have been here nearly a week already, the time is whizzing by. Our house is gorgeous, although there is a rather high balcony which fills me with fear. Coco is banned from being outside without an adult right beside her at all times. The house itself is lovely though. A huge open plan space with big french windows on all sides which you can have open with the mozzie screen pulled across keeping Coco in, with the illusion of being out - if that makes sense. The family that owns the house are half Canadian, half British and so there is a kind of Canadian hunting lodge feel to the decor. Strange that may seem for the 30 degree heat and sandy beaches that is the Caribbean, but somehow it works.

Already, we have fallen into our usual routine. Up for a run (well that was only this morning but I am hoping to keep it up!), take Angus to work, back for breakfast, jobs, play and then our morning swim. We are very lucky to have a little plunge pool just outside our back door which is perfect for Coco to practice her swimming in.

We are continuing with the exercises we were given in Fort Lauderdale and Coco is back to happily going underwater, jumping in and holding onto the wall when she needs to but she still refuses to kick her legs - apart from in the bath! She is brilliant at it then! I know it will come, but the quicker she is actually swimming the better. It is a constant worry when you are around all this water. Anyway, after being warn out in the pool, we have a spot of lunch and then a sleep. Coco's sleeps have been awesome since we have been here, 2 - 3 hours every afternoon and still 11 - 12 hours at night! It is perfect as I have a whole ton of work on at the moment. Did I say work?!

When it cools down a bit, we hit the beach for a couple of hours, meet with Daddy and then come home for supper and bed! Not a bad routine I would say.

So, back to the blog title - I was thinking this morning how amazing Coco was on the flight last week and how, although we are now well practised at long-haul (Coco has wracked up 14 flights now!), there are always things I could improve on, things I discover and things I forget. Seeing as we are about to embark on the holiday season, I thought I would share my top tips with you all in the hope they might help now or in the future. Feel free to add any helpful comments!

- Don't have too much hand luggage, put as much as possible in the hold. Carrying stuff is a real pain.
- Select toys carefully. A magnetic drawing board is BRILLIANT! No mess and hours of entertainment.
- One new, wow, toy to be brought out in an emergency situation. We had a plastic train this trip that did the trick!
- Loads of snacks. Airlines can sometimes be funny about food especially for infants. I shamelessly go for fun food, again it's a great distraction. Pringles and animal crackers are a firm favourite.
- Coco is a thumbsucker which is great for take-off and landing but if not then lollypops work.
- Whatever works! Coco loves her bottle but only has one at nigh time. However, I buy a pint of milk in the departure lounge and she has several bottles on a long-haul flight.
- Download some children's favourites onto your laptop. The in flight entertainment can sometimes be limited so don't rely on it. I went for Peppa Pig, In the Night Garden and some children's earphones.
- Stick to a similar routine as you would have at home and hopefully that might include a sleep?!
- Be prepared to walk up and down the aircraft a lot!
- If you are going somewhere hot, pop a summer dress in your bag for landing. Long queues are better if children aren't overheating.
- We have just discovered reigns - again, perfect when travelling if you get one that is a rucksack as well for a nappy and a drink!

Hope this is helpful for any of you who are about to hit the runway. As I say, any other tips would be gratefully received!

Look at that view!

2011-04-03T07:07:00.000-04:00

My Mothers Day has started in the very best possible way - I slept until 6am, which is fabulous seeing as we only changed time zones 36 hours ago and that is pretty much my normal waking up time. Coco is still asleep, which means she has already managed to switch her body clock to Caribbean time on the second night. I am, at last, getting the time to sit, at a table, undisturbed so that I can write a long overdue blog whilst soaking up the most amazing view. Check it out...

The sun is just coming up so you can't fully appreciate the colours yet but this is the outlook from the balcony of our home for the next month. We are back in Antigua - one of my favourite places in the world - you are looking down on Falmouth Harbour and the famous English Harbour is just visible in the left hand corner of the photo. Nestled amongst the masts that you can see is Angus's boat - yes, the one which he is now captain of, and all seems to be going well so far!

It was Antigua that inspired me to start blogging a little over a year ago. How did this little family from South West England manage to end up travelling the world and living in places like this?! Have a look now the sun is higher...

Tomorrow real life starts, but this weekend we are having a holiday, kicking back and relaxing on the beach. Uncle Gaby and his girlfriend Mel, kindly invited us to join them at their nearby hotel for the day so we have been enjoying their luxury pools, fun water sports and endless pina coladas and rum punches. Angus is starting Coco early to try and ignite her interest in boats...

and she is obviously really hating it!!

Being back with Daddy is just the very best thing for Coco, she hasn't left his side since we arrived. The pure excitement has been extraordinary to watch, they have just been playmates from the moment they were back together. I find it amazing that, even after not seeing each other for two months, Coco remembers their games, the little things that they do together, even though she is so young.

Not only has she got Daddy back, but she's with her Uncle Gaby again too! How much excitement can one 19 month old baby handle?

So, who knows what Mothers Day will bring, but for the moment I feel completely relaxed, truly happy and all is well.

Empty Promises

2011-03-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

Another three weeks goes by - maybe more! Is it more? Probably - and no blogging. I will reintroduce blogging into my routine but I can't seem to find the time for anything at the moment. I blame the weather and the fact that all my 'spare time' seems to be taken up with scraping mud off my boots and drying out wet clothes! I am simply not used to all of this rain - when is it going to stop?

When we are at home I love the country life we lead. I am a country girl, I was born and brought up a country girl. I am comfortable in wellies, I don't mind the wind and rain (in moderation), I'm not scared of the dark or creaky old houses. In fact, I would rather live without street lights if I had the choice. I can drive a quad bike and reverse a horse box - and when I came back to Dorset I am coming home, this is where I belong.

However, what is with all the mud? Am I loosing my hardy, rural tolerance? My Mum and I have a horse and although it is mainly hers now we are away so often, when home I am fully involved in the day to day care of our beloved Charlie (and Horace and Shettie the ponies). This is where the mud comes in. Let me give you some examples of what we are dealing with on a daily basis at the moment...

And that's you seeing it on a good day! The sun is shining for the first time in weeks!

I am moaning for effect really. I do realise that coping with a little mud, however annoying, is nothing but an annoyance and not a serious problem at all and despite this relentless British winter, this is what I wake up to every morning at the moment...

And this is why I brave the mud to put out the hay...

I have said it before and I will say it again, how lucky am I to have this for half the time...

And this for the other half...

We are missing Angus though. He passed his exam by the way and is now a full, bona fide captain! I am so proud I could just burst.

Insomnia...

2011-02-04T00:31:00.000-05:00

... is a terrible thing but at least it gives me an hour or so to catch up on some blogging. I feel a bit like I have been missing in action for the past month. Blogging has been on my 'to-do' list for weeks and I never intended to take this long break but life happens.

Since I last touched base we have flown back to the UK and had a fabulous (if not exhausting) holiday catching up with friends and family. As always there are so many people we haven't managed to see yet but Coco and I are still going to be around for a while longer so we hope to rectify that over the next couple of months. We have seen cousins and siblings, we have had two more Christmases, we have walked a lot and ridden horses a lot. We have shared curries and roasts, fish and chips and bottles of bubbles, we have laughed but not cried (there will be no tears on holiday!). We have seen The Kings Speech and La Boheme (Angus's first ever opera experience!). We have dressed up as pirates and walked the South West Coastal Path - not all of it and not in our pirate costumes I hasten to add! We haven't slept in the same bed for more than two nights and we have wracked up the miles, but we have had fun - such fun.

During the last week however we have attempted to plant our feet firmly on the ground. Coco has started nursery (very strange, she is growing up so fast!), I am attempting to get into a proper working routine, we have unpacked our suitcases at last and Angus has been revising like crazy for his final Master's exam (which is today by the way - hence the insomnia). Last time I mentioned the Master Exam in my blog someone asked what it was and what it meant, well, it is the final step for Angus. It is basically his captains qualification and it is a really big deal. He has worked so hard for this and is so ready to become a captain so I need everyone to keep everything crossed for him today. Please xxx

Whatever happens, we are now about to enter a more settled phase for a couple of months. Angus goes back to work, Coco and I have a normal routine for a while and oversee the building of our new house, although there is still a way to go! This is the situation so far...

We get to play catch up, on sleep (I can honestly say that although it has been wonderful, the last month has left us exhausted) on our health (we have all had ongoing illness from which it is time to recover) on the fitness plans (don't these always go haywire on holiday? plus it is so cold over here and I have been ill and I can't face running) and on saving some money (now Coco is at nursery I can really get the work coming in - hopefully!)

So that is a whistle-stop tour of what we have been up to. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone over the next few days, I will keep you posted on Angus's news and I promise it won't be as long before I log in again. Speak soon!

And again...

2011-01-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

...we are packing up and on the move. Although I still find it VERY tedious, I am getting better and better at it. We don't fly until Friday and I am pretty much there (how organized!), I just need to pick up a couple of things tomorrow, give the house a clean and we are good to go. I do also have a shed load of work to get done before the weekend (which I should be doing right now!) so this is a short and sweet post today mainly to say 'hi' to all of my new followers! I can not tell you how happy I am to have you onboard - welcome.

The reason I have increased my following is thanks to the very lovely, blogging genius that is Maxabella, who gave me my very first blog shout out. I had taken myself off to bed with laptop in hand to have a quick catch up in Google Reader before going to sleep and stumbled across my blog getting a mention in Maxabella Loves (I have said it before and I will say it again - check her out, she is inspiring). I was so excited I skipped, whooping like a child, into the sitting room to share the good news with Angus. I was touched that he understood why this was such a momentous moment for me and we celebrated with a quick smooch!

I started blogging for my family and friends at home. Travelling all the time means that the ones we love miss out on so much of our lives, and I realise that this is especially hard when there are children involved. They change so quickly - almost daily! I had heard of 'blogging' and set myself up with a blog having absolutely no idea that there was a whole community out there to be explored. Although I still primarily think of this site as our little online diary of our adventures, I am trying to start thinking like a blogger; what do people want to read about? I find myself making mental notes as we go about our day to day lives of things that I want to tell people or get others opinions on. Invariably, I have forgotten all of these mental notes once I sit down at the computer but I will work on rectifying this problem!

Basically, my blog brings me immense joy. I get satisfaction from writing it, I find the concept of putting our adventures out into the blogosphere fascinating, I love it that family and friends at home can keep tabs on what we are up to and how we are doing and I adore the fact that I have an expanding list of followers. So I suppose I just wanted to say thank you for dropping by! Bear with me, I am still learning and always open to suggestions. This year I hope to become a much more accomplished blogger and may even improve the design of my site so it isn't quite so... purple!

Right back to the work and then hopefully I can enjoy our last couple of days of sunshine before heading home to the chilly UK.

Here is a little clip of Coco's kitchen picnic earlier. She was at the table but decided that eating raisins on the kitchen rug was far more appealing.

What's around the corner?

2011-01-01T22:25:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to All!

I am absolutely buzzing with excitement today. I have read so many damning articles about the concept of 'New Year' over the past few days and I'm sorry, but I love it; I love the tradition that is New Year. Sometimes I feel that I need a defined moment in time when I can reflect, assess and adjust. I can shake myself off, dust away the cobwebs and energise. I want to be told that this is the time to take a good, hard look at myself and decide where there are changes that need to be made. I actually enjoy setting myself aims and objectives and I accept that these may need to change and I won't feel a failure if they aren't all achieved. The whole concept of new beginnings is exciting for me; not because the old was bad, far from it, but because you can keep evaluating your life and making the good even better.

We had a very sober New Year's Eve. Angus was working so Coco and I stayed on the boat (I was actually extremely excited about a night on the boat!). I haven't slept in a top bunk for years and Coco never sleeps in our bed so a top bunk and Coco cuddles all night was delicious. I am suffering a little this evening though as I was completely paranoid that she would get out of her grow-bag, crawl over my sleeping body and crash to the cabin floor from a great height. She didn't of course but although I loved our night of camping out at the boat I got very little sleep!

Once Coco was in bed, Angus and I sat and talked dreams, aspirations and goals for the coming year and our future in general. There was nothing new, it was all stuff we had discussed plenty of times before, but to have a little focus, to be able to draw on the past and plan for the future was so exciting. There is obviously so much we can't guarantee, who knows what will happen and how things will turn out but there are an awful lot of wheels in motion as we go into 2011 and if just a few of these wheels were to take us down the roads we are hoping they might then we have one massive year ahead of us!

We didn't actually make it until midnight, but that didn't matter, that really is just symbolic. We had achieved all we wanted to achieve from the ritual that is New Year's Eve; we had reminisced, we had planned and plotted and we went to bed positive, hopeful and happy (with a game of Trivial Pursuit thrown in for good measure). As I lay there and watched the reflection of the lights on the water through the porthole, the surrounding boat horns tooted to signal the coming of the New Year on the strike of twelve. Whilst listening to Angus's slow sleepy breathing coming from the bunk below, I was able to kiss Coco's soft, milky cheek and feel completely content with life and where it was heading.

Today was windy. Warm and windy. Perfect for brisk, beach walks and enough of a breeze to help really get those wheels turning!

The Best Bits of 2010!

2010-12-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

Seeing as we are all a little under the weather today (well actually Coco is pretty much better apart from a lingering cough - but she has kindly shared her lurgi with both Angus and me) and we are at serious risk of becoming 'snowed-in' if the piles of tissues decided to avalanche, I need to cheer myself up a bit. It is the end of 2010 and time to reflect. I am already formulating my list of resolutions which I will share with you at a later date but before that I would like you to join me on a jaunt down memory lane for a quick game of 'Best Bits of 2010'!

The New Year started perfectly shared with old friends and new at a party hosted by my dear friend who is quite literally the hostess with the mostess. This would be my first 'best bit' but really, although it deserves a mention, I think it really belongs in 2009. Despite loving January's snow filled fun I was happy to fly to Antigua at the end of the month after a long, nine weeks away from Angus.

My first 'best bit' was the 2010 Superbowl. Although the match was in Miami, the hoards of people spilled over to fill the streets of Fort Lauderdale and what a crowd it was! The New Orleans Saints were playing and so the general theme of the event seemed to be Mardi Gras - the colour, the people, the atmosphere - it was all amazing and although I don't know anything about American Football it was fabulous to witness the phenomenon that is Superbowl!

All our visitors were a huge highlight of 2010. When you are away from home, having friends and family come and share your life abroad with you makes a big difference. First of all there was Marcus who had to squeeze into our little studio apartment in Miami. It did feel like we were students camping out - with a baby! Then Mums and Peter came for a couple of weeks relaxation in Antigua. We had an amazing time but my 'best bit' was being able to share my first Mothers Day as a Mummy with my Mummy. Then Jennifer, my Mother-in-Law, came to enjoy the sunshine and boy, did we natter! Our next visitors were my Dad and Christine who managed to squeeze in a week over the famous Antigua Classics Regatta and it was lovely to have them (although they nearly didn't make it home due to the cloud of ash covering the UK after the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull).

During a trip home in May, we spent time with family and friends, all of which was as brilliant as always but the highlight for me was a picnic at Wardour Castle with mother-in-law and sisters-in-law and a family weekend at the end of May where our little crawler fell madly in love with her eldest cousins who were wonderfully adoring and attentive.

We had a fabulous summer in New England and it is definitely one of my new favourite places, I absolutely loved it. The scenery, our little house, our new friends, the beaches, our visitors, my new body, the Jack Johnson concert, hurricane, boat rides, Boston, Newport, Maine... it was all one big best bit really but there was a weekend that stands out as being the very, very best bit and that was our weekend in Maine for Coco's 1st Birthday. Such a happy, memorable time was had by all.

Another summer highlight was Coco and my two week vacation back to the UK to see one of my closest friends getting married. The whole week was terrific starting with the hen party and ending with the most magnificent wedding.

Autumn in the UK was just perfect. We had our lovely cottage, Coco's Christening, time with friends, Angus's birthday, the Eden Project Half Marathon, noodle nights, and loads of time with family and friends - an overall best bit!

Our year is drawing to an end in Florida. We have had a superb, if not a little chilly, time here over the past few months. Coco's swimming is improving tremendously, we have managed to have lots and lots of family time which is a rare treat, we have made yet more lovely friends and found some beautiful places. Coco continues to bring us so much joy and is a 'best bit' everyday with new words and an ever developing sense of humour. Her singing voice leaves a lot to be desired sounding at the moment as if it is a call to prayer, but she is young so all hope is not lost! She eats like a horse (although she doesn't yet use a spoon - I'm hoping that will come fairly soon!) and climbs with such energy and bravery for such a little person. She has all of her teeth and such a lot of gorgeous, blond hair. She has changed so much in the last year and we are so excited to see all of the changes that 2011 will bring.

One of the over all highlights this year was the day we heard that we had got our house. Next year we move into our own home, we will see Antigua again, we will continue to travel around the world but will come back to our own little house, with our own bed and our own things. 2011 holds such promise; Angus will hopefully get his Masters ticket, Coco will turn two, three of our closest friends are having their first babies and who knows what else? It is just so exciting! So many more best bits to look forward to!

What a great Christmas!

2010-12-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

Ah, I can't believe it is all over so quickly! Where has Christmas gone? Angus is back at work, we are into the old routine and I am even contemplating taking the tree down as it just seems out of place now that all of the festivities are over. There isn't the fill-in of festivities between Christmas and New Year that we have at home. Here in the US, once Christmas Day is over, things quickly return to normal.

I'm not going to lie to you, I was feeling a little sad about Christmas. We love our families and adore it when we all spend time together. When we are all with each other you can guarantee massive amounts of laughter, stupidity and fun. To miss out on all the hilarity seemed so upsetting but I have to say, the idea of missing out was much worse than the reality. Don't get me wrong everyone at home, we would have loved to have been with you, but actually we had a lovely Christmas in Florida too. The biggest disappointment was the fact we missed the first white Christmas in my lifetime. All those prayers asking for nothing but snow for Christmas and then the one year we are away there is bucket loads of the stuff. Next year I am going to insist on Christmas in Lapland or somewhere equally as cold where I can count on sledging and snowmen.

When Coco's temperature soared on Christmas Eve (39.5!!) we thought that Christmas was going to be a washout or even involve a trip to A & E, however, the miracle that is Calpol and the fact that we have the bravest baby in the world meant that a wonderful time was still enjoyed by all. After present wrapping and stocking stuffing, Angus and I curled up to watch the original Miracle on 34th Street with a bottle of Baileys and a delectable feast of tasty nibbles before hitting the sack, full and happy. This was our first Christmas together as a family. Last year Angus had been away working so we were determined this was going to be a special one.

I think I was awake before Coco, brimming with excitement and as soon as there was the slightest murmur from the little-ins room I was in there like a shot. All three of our stockings were opened with absolute joy, and Coco was very obviously over the moon at the realisation that she had some new toys. With travelling around all the time, she is a little light on toys and was in desperate need of some new entertainment.

It was fresh and sunny so we decided to hit the beach for a bracing walk, coffee and croissants. Having mainly previously experienced rural Christmases I loved the fact that we were sharing our Christmas morning with all of these unknown people. The beach front was quieter than normal but still had the early morning buzz of joggers, holiday makers, last nights revellers, roller-bladers and dog walkers. Every one had a smile on their face and there were constant calls of "Merry Christmas" between both friends and strangers.

Home for presents and Skyping - I have said it before and I'll say it again - Skype is amazing! How can we be 4000 miles away and Coco was able to open her first present in front of an audience at home? It still blows my mind.

Nobody should be alone at Christmas and if you have the power to avoid this happening then you should. The thing with boats is that there always has to be somebody on board so that person was inevitably going to spend Christmas alone unless, of course, you take Christmas to them - which we did! A full Christmas dinner (although we opted for beef instead of turkey) on the boat so that everyone could join in.

What a fabulously brilliant day - an excellent first family Christmas!

Our Neighbourhood

2010-12-20T18:03:00.001-05:00

Check it out - it is a whole different reality...

The play park is pretty normal but lovely and just a couple of minutes walk from our home. How lucky are we?! The funniest thing is the fact that everyone comes here in golf carts! Nobody walks in Fort Lauderdale, you either jog or drive or, in our neighbourhood you drive around in a golf cart like it is some kind of holiday resort! It is very funny.

This is one of the less splendid houses - yes really.

A view of the canal.

A view from the bridge, everyone appears to have a private jetty!

And some of those jetty's have some pretty big private day cruisers on them!

They go to town on the decorations on this side of the Atlantic!

I think the Christmas decorations look so funny alongside the palm trees.

If I was to choose any house around here - this is my favourite.

Just in case you were wondering, as Coco and I walked around taking photos, I was wearing a t-shirt covered in hummus, I haven't worn make-up in at least four days and Coco had yogurt around her mouth from lunchtime because she won't let me wipe her face at the moment without screaming the house down! So we may be living amongst some of the most well groomed houses and people in Florida but we still have a lot to learn!

I hope this bit of sunshine helps to defrost some of you guys back in the UK?

This Saturday I am grateful for....

2010-12-18T14:54:00.001-05:00

Painkillers - last night we hit the town and did we ever hit the town! However, we are paying for it today, I just can't do it anymore. I am officially a lightweight. One glass of wine is fine, two and I'm a bit giggly and 3 and I'm sloshed. I should stick at 3 on a big night out and intersperse those with a couple of soft drinks not add a cocktail and a limoncello to the mix, that is plain stupid! Hence my being grateful for painkillers today - and there has been some serious pain that needed killing.

Having a daughter who is a sleep monster! - Today of all days Coco has decided that she needs to catch-up after a busy week. She has also been getting over a cough and had two teeth pop through so an extra nap was definitely well deserved. Both Angus and I are eternally grateful to her for sleeping for nearly two hours this morning and a further hour and a bit this afternoon! Her timing couldn't be better seeing as Angus and I are far from being on top form.

Rain - you may notice a theme emerging here, but it has poured with rain all day today and I mean constant, torrential rain so we have turned the Christmas tree lights on, put on the TV and bedded in for the day. Again, perfect timing!

So although I am not grateful for the fact that my partying days are definitely over, and the hangovers hit hard, I am exceedingly grateful that someone is smiling down on me and not punishing me too much. I have said it before and unfortunately I will probably say it in the future but I am never drinking again!

To see what others around the world are grateful for this Saturday pop over to see Maxabella. There are always some truly beautiful posts to enjoy over there.

Hitting the town!

2010-12-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

You will be very relieved to know that this week I am not posting a blog filled with doom and gloom - I am feeling much more chipper!

I am back on form and have managed to shake off the loneliness that was tainting my every decision and get back into the positive frame of mind that I am used to. We are living in America for goodness sake! I spent the whole of my childhood talking about my desire to travel and live overseas and here we are, doing it! Get a grip girl! Well, I have - I think.

I love the neighbourhood we have moved to. I have to tell you we are punching way above our weight in this area. It is the serious money part of town and we have been lucky enough to find an affordable rental here. The leafy streets are lined with mansions and houses straight out of 'Desperate Housewives', the sidewalks are clean, the sun seems to always shine (although it has been a bit chilly this week), there are always beautiful people who don't sweat when they jog effortlessly past you and Ferrari's and Aston Martins driving along the roads. The streets are entwined with Fort Lauderdale's canal network which gives idyllic snapshot views as you peer between the fences of back gardens leading down to the waters edge with swimming pools and putting greens (seriously, there are putting greens in people's back gardens!). We have a play park within a few minutes walk which is the cleanest tidiest park you have ever seen, full of children and not a parent in sight - all nannies. I am not exaggerating - we maybe living in someone's pool house (and a very nice pool house it is too) but the vicinity is very very posh! I will post photos over the weekend and you will see what I mean.

As well as getting to know our new area, we have also been getting into the Christmas spirit. We have a tree which is small but beautiful, an advent calendar (thank you Auntie Ilm) and this afternoon's activity is to make some Christmas biscuits. The original plan was to have a completely edible tree decorated purely with candy and cookies, however, the only downside of our new abode is that there is a bit of an ant problem so I'm pretty sure my original tree idea wouldn't have helped with that! So, the cookies are still going to be made, but will remain in a tightly sealed box until consumption.

Right, must get on. I have baking to do before painting my nails - yes, that's right. Our first night out in what seems like months! We've found a babysitter and we are off out to paint the town red, or gold, or silver or whatever you paint a town at Christmas time!

It's Friday, It's Daddy Time

2010-12-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

I can not tell you how unbelievably relieved I am that it is Friday. It has been the longest 12 days of my life (definitely maybe). I love being a parent and you all know that I love the life we lead but now and again both the parenting and the way we live just gets too much. Before I embark on this self-pitying rant, which I am afraid it may well turn into, I just need to point out that I do know how lucky I am, I appreciate what I have every single day, but sometimes, just occasionally, those cons about our way of life, that are always there niggling away in the background, are amplified and become all I can think about for a while.

When I say cons, it is just one con really and that is loneliness. How ever hard you try, being on the move means that building a network of friends in every place we go to is bloody difficult. I keep really busy. I join groups, I walk, I go to playgrounds, I try really hard to talk to people when we are out and about, but actually making friends in the short amount of time we are in each place is really hard. One of the reasons the last 12 days have been even harder is that Angus worked last weekend so there hasn't been a break, it has just been Coco and I. Lack of friends and family around us equals no time-out, not even half and hour. We also had to move house in the middle of it all which was quite an effort and we were without internet for a few days. A small inconvenience you may think but when the cyber world brings my friends and family into my living room, it is heart wrenching to be without them all for a while.

However, Coco and I have filled our time with Christmas Card painting, lots of cooking (cooking is my comfort blanket and we currently have a freezer full of muffins!), book reading, tower building, music making, present shopping, play park climbing and Spot watching but we are both looking forward to mixing it up this weekend and having some Daddy time.

Girls in White Dresses...

2010-12-08T13:13:00.000-05:00

This weeks Gallery theme is 'white' - I am assuming that it might have something to do with the weather in the UK at the moment?! However, although it is a little chilly for Floridian standards over here, there isn't a snowflake in sight so I have had a dig around my photo library and found this cracker from earlier in the year. So I am sharing it with you in appreciation of my all time favourite film, even though there isn't a blue satin sash to top it off.

I have just had a look in my reader and found 590 unread items (I have been very busy lately) so I am off to have a serious catch up and I will post more later.

To see more wonderful 'white' inspired photos pop over to Sticky Fingers and take a look.

Big News!

2010-11-30T11:19:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness it has been AGES! However, I do have a good excuse - last week I was a complete bag of nerves and could focus on little else other that going over and over and over our accounts to make sure we really could afford to buy a HOUSE! On top of the affordability, we were also waiting with baited breath to see if we could actually get the imperative mortgage. On Friday morning at about 6.58am (we're 5 hours behind the UK here) we got the call to say "full steam ahead". By 7.20am we had made an offer, by 8.05am we were negotiating and by 8.08am we had done a deal! The deposit is paid and we move in in March! Well, that is a bit weather dependant as the house hasn't actually been built yet but that is a minor detail.

Ah, deep breath - I am very excited.

Nothing is going to be changing too much, we will still be a nomadic family following boats around the world but knowing that we have a home to come back to, run to if we need it, be together in when we are all in the UK... it will just make life that little bit easier and more secure.

Anyway, moving in day is still a little way off and we are really stretching ourselves to do this so I am working my butt-off to earn the money to pay for carpets - hence the lack of blogging, or reading any other blogs (sorry). I will try and re-focus and not get too carried away with telling you all about the sofa I want or the colour I am going to pain the living room wall. After all, we are in America and there is still an awful lot of fun to be had over here.

Talking of which we discovered the world of remote controlled aircraft at the weekend which was absolutely fascinating. No seriously - it was. We stumbled across a park near here that has an actual airfield, complete with runway, totally dedicated to model aircraft. These planes are amazing and built as exact replicas of the real deal. There was even a jet plane, with proper jet engines and the distinct smell of jet fuel. Check out the video and you'll see what I mean.

On Friday we weren't just celebrating our house purchase, it was also Uncle Gaby's 30th Birthday! I can't believe he is 30 but we marked the occasion with lots of champagne (so he could drown his sorrows, I think he struggled a bit leaving his 20's behind) and birthday brownies complete with lots and lots of candles. (Not that I should be allowed to go anywhere near fire after nearly burning the house down last week! Seriously, I was standing the the middle of the kitchen holding a burning pan with flames reaching the ceiling! My great-in-an-emergency husband told me calmly to "put the pan gently in the sink" where the fire quickly ran out of fuel and all was well. It was a close one though.)

Anyway, Happy Birthday again Gaby (Baby to Coco which we are hoping might stick!) and I promise you, your 30's are way better than your 20's so there is no need to worry.

Just a quick aside before I get back to work while Coco sleeps - welcome to all my new followers! I can not tell you how exciting it is to have some new readers on board.

Days of Thunder

2010-11-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

We have had such a great weekend and I feel much more relaxed. Yesterday we packed up our cool-bag and drove down to Homestead to the NASCAR championships. Now, I am no petrol head, neither is Angus but we have a very clever friend who is an 'aerodynamicist' (I think that's what you call him) for one of the teams and seeing as we don't get to see him very often and he was just down the road we decided to check it out.

I am so glad we did. Not only was it simply lovely to see Tom, but the racing was awesome! As we turned off the turnpike we could see the enormous track grandstand looming ahead of us. There were aeroplanes circling above with advertising banners streaming behind them, a vast car park rapidly filling with big, 4x4 trucks (everyone drives a truck over here) and the roar of race car engines audible before we had even got out of the car!

"I love big events", said Angus with a shudder of excitement.

I knew exactly what he meant. A county show at home in the UK, a festival or a football match, the atmosphere of a large event is just brilliant and it has to be said that nobody does large events quite like the Americans.

There were tailgaters with bbq's, rock bands, beer stands, corn dogs, a lot of baseball caps and cars! Oh the cars! They were so fast and so load and SO cool! Even Coco (in her protective ear-muffs) seemed to enjoy the thrill of the race - literally.

Catching up with Tom was just what I needed. I love making new friends but the easiness that there is with old ones is sometimes just such a relief.

Anyway, should you get the opportunity to go to a NASCAR event then definitely do it, even if you don't like cars, do it for the experience. The noise, the smell, the people and the speed is straight out of 'Days of Thunder'. I would also be prepared to lay money on the fact that some of the drivers were dead-ringers for Tom Cruise!

Time to reflect...

2010-11-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

and think again about what it is I am grateful for this week.

This is a really good exercise for me this Saturday as it has been a frantic week. I will explain in more detail at a later date but in short, Coco has been under the weather, we are in the process of trying to buy a house but it all depends on a mortgage and we have been waiting to hear for what seems like FOREVER! So, coughing child and high anxiety levels leads to the inevitable sleepless nights which then leads to... disorganisation, irritability, out-of-control eating (my achilles heal) - the list goes on!

So first of all I must be grateful for:

A patient family - just for putting up with me (especially Angus), supporting me, accepting the fact that contacting those of you in the UK has been low on my list of priorities this week... thank you all, I really am grateful xx

Running - it is such a great stress-buster, even in the Florida heat! I feel so much better and healthier after a good run, it helps me put everything into perspective and also makes me stop for a second and be thankful for the fact that I am so lucky to have a healthy body.

Genius Playlists - Why did I not know about this before? A friend recently told me about this little gem that itunes has to offer and it has completely changed my musical appreciation! I love it and am discovering and rediscovering music I didn't even know I had.

Old school friends - We are so lucky to have wonderful friends from our school days, I told you about some of them a while back here, but another lives in the US and this weekend his work brings him to Homestead, Florida so we are all getting together this afternoon. I am so excited, it is lovely seeing friends from home when we are away from family and friends so much of the time.

I'll leave you with a couple of photos of some old school friends and do pop over to Maxabella and see what everyone else is grateful for this week.

The joys of Saturday

2010-11-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

I'm just going to make it. It's late on Saturday evening but I want to take a few moments to tell you that...

This Saturday I am grateful for...

Uncle Gaby - My lovely (not so little) little brother. I am always grateful for him but especially this Saturday as, out of the blue, he offered to have my darling daughter for the day to give Angus and I the day together - child free! He did it all with no hesitation; play, lunch, naps, a trip to the park, even nappy changes! It was amazing, we had a wonderful time on our day off (more of that later) and, I think, they did too!

The sound of a game of tennis - Angus and I met playing tennis. We were both pretty good in our youth! We don't get to play very much anymore, hardly ever in fact, but when we do I love it. We played today when we were child free and as we hit the ball back and forth in the warm sunshine, I took a moment to enjoy the sound of the of the ball as the bounce echoed around the court. That sound is so evocative, it brings back so many happy memories. We should play tennis more often.

A perfectly chilled glass - oh who are we kidding... bottle - of Sauvignon Blanc - Just because it is delicious and helps the world go around!

Thank you again to Maxabella for setting up such a lovely Saturday link-up.

Going Veggie

2010-11-11T23:42:00.002-05:00

I never thought I would see the day that my carnivorous husband supported my decision for our little household to be mainly veggie for the foreseeable future. However, he does, he even seems to have kind of encouraged it after we both watched last nights movie.

One of the things that I have been fascinated by since spending a significant amount of time in the US is the food over here. Firstly there are a ludicrous amount of fast food restaurants. You drive down pretty much every highway and you are continuously confronted by neon signs welcoming customers to MacDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts... the list goes on and on. Fast food is cheap, easy and immensely popular.

It all seems a little stereotypical, America and the burger bar, and I'm certainly not saying that this is the way all American's eat, lets face it, junk food is becoming a problem everywhere, but you are very aware of it here. Even in the supermarket the shelves are lined with instant foods. Instant cake mix, instant macaroni, throw in the oven pizza, instant pancakes - you can even buy Egg Beaters, which as the name suggests is beaten egg! In a carton! There is obviously fresh produce but even this sometimes seems a little dubious. I bought and cooked a chicken in the summer, I usually do a great roast chicken, even though I say it myself (wiggling my head in pride), but this was so awful we threw it away (and made some instant macaroni instead - no I didn't, just kidding). It was just a bad chicken - and last night we found out why; we watched Food Inc.

If you haven't seen this film, you must. You will never want to eat another burger ever again. (Can I write that? Didn't Oprah get sued for saying something similar?) Having watched how the meat is produced and how animals are treated, I can't justify buying it anymore so we have decided we won't. We are officially veggie, apart from the odd occasion where we splash out and buy some free-range, organic, happy meat but we simply can't afford to do that all of the time. So it's lentil lasagne, vegetable curries and nut roasts in this household for the time being. We will still eat fish to ensure we all get plenty of protein but the red and white meats are going on hold for a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting on my healthy eating high-horse, I was just quite shocked and I want to be sure that I know what I am feeding my family.

I was veggie for a good few years in my student wannabe hippie days so I am actually looking forward to experimenting with some vegetarian cooking again and introducing us all to some new dishes and exciting flavours. I'll keep you posted on how we are getting on and while we are doing that, watch the film.

Have you ever seen a film that changes your lifestyle?

(I'm taking part in Flog Yo Blog Friday - go and take a look)

What Season? Beach Season!

2010-11-10T22:30:00.002-05:00

It's Gallery time again. "Already?", I hear you say.

I've been rubbish at blogging this week... again. I just don't know where the time goes!

This week the theme is 'Seasons'. Well here in Florida there don't seem to be any real seasons. The winter is hot, the spring is a little hotter and the summer is really, really frigging hot! Last weekend the clocks went back so we are well and truly into 'fall'. The sticky humidity has made way for refreshing breezes and beautifully warm sunshine. It is quite honestly my absolute perfect weather at the moment.

This evening Coco and I had a picnic tea on the beach where Angus and Uncle Gabes joined us for a swim when they had finished work. Despite the warmth, Coco still needed some snuggles from her Uncle to warm her up after her autumnal evening dip.

Check some other seasonal offerings at Sticky Fingers.

Singing my troubles away

2010-11-06T22:23:00.000-04:00

One of my very favourite bloggers is the lovely Maxabella from the wonderful land of Oz. Her blog is always completely inspiring, thought provoking and uplifting - I adore it. You MUST go and have a read. On Saturday's she always stops, reflects and tells here readers what she is grateful for. I am jumping on the bandwagon and would like to share with you some of the things in my life today for which I am thankful...

Skype - I am constantly blown away by the fact that I can sit on my computer, nearly 4500 miles from home, and I can have a clear, face to face conversation with my Mummy. It makes being away all the time that little bit easier. It is magic!

Cool Breezes - After a blisteringly hot week in Florida, the thunderstorms came, the air cleared and today we enjoyed a clear sky, warm sun and a beautifully cool breeze. We spent the afternoon at the park, walking, talking and playing and all at a comfortable, constant temperature.

Headache Pills - Although today has been blissfully relaxed, it didn't stop a nasty headache bugging me all afternoon. However, a bottle of water and a couple of paracetamol and I feel as right as rain!

My Husband - I've been a little homesick since leaving the UK and my gorgeous husband has spent today helping to lift my spirits. He even put The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber in the car so that I could sing all my troubles away at the top of my mediocre voice!

What are you grateful for this weekend?

Show me the funny!

2010-11-03T09:21:00.002-04:00

I've decided to link up to The Gallery this week. I have really enjoyed seeing everyone else's interpretations of the weekly themes since I discovered this brilliant Wednesday feature by Sticky Fingers a little while ago and I wanted to get involved! Hope nobody minds?

This week is 'Show me the funny' and this is what we have to offer...

Coco and I found this extremely funny, Daddy - not so much!

Without a doubt, Coco was a sicky baby. She was completely unfazed by it but you could guarantee that after every meal there would be a reasonably dramatic throw-up. The best thing was that generally it seemed to be Daddy that bore the brunt of the carnage. He had to endure sick on the chest, sick on his shoes, even sick in his mouth! (another story for another time) but the photo above was a classic. After a fantastic day a Ren Fest - I blogged about it earlier this year - Coco had guzzled a bit too much milk and Daddy endured the consequences! Poor Daddy xx

Loving Halloween!

2010-11-01T14:12:00.000-04:00

I have secretly loved Halloween for years. I adore the feeling of being completely freaked-out and have been renowned for my ghost story renditions since I started going to sleepovers. I even enjoy the odd horror movie. Not the blood and guts kind but the freaky, spooky, Blair Witch kind.

As a child I was so jealous of American children at Halloween. The fancy dress, the trick or treating and the parties. Since I first watched ET I was fascinated by the idea of 'trick or treating' and was desperate to get involved but it just didn't happen in the UK in those days.

So last night was the biggest revelation for me. Halloween in America lived up to all of my expectations!

We were kindly invited to join some friends in their 'neighbourhood' for our first trick or treating experience. As the sun went down the children (and adults) come out in their droves. There were ghosts and witches, mummies and ghouls, cats and spiders and even a caveman (!). Groups of children knocked on doors and were rewarded with handfuls of brightly coloured, sugarific 'candy'. The effort people go to is extraordinary. One house had spooky music blaring out, you had to fight your way through the cobwebs to get to the door and then you were greeted by a full-size coffin the opened to reveal a revolting zombie. It wasn't until you'd run this horrible gauntlet that you could claim your chocolatey prize! Some people had baked beautifully iced muffins, others set up a little stand by their door overflowing with treats ready for their visitors. This is a tradition that is fully embraced over here and is seriously good fun. We met all our neighbours and planted the seed for some potential new friendships, everyone seemed to have fun - even though it was absolutely pouring with rain.

Coco managed to get into a packet of Skittles without us realising so was literally bouncing off the walls by the time we got home but still it was a brilliant, brilliant family evening.

Leaving on a jet-plane

2010-10-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am terrified of flying? I would say that my terror is verging on phobia – terrible anxiety for about two weeks before each flight, palpitations, shakes and trouble breathing. Unfortunately, our life choice makes flying absolutely necessary for me. Not only do I have to do it, but I always have Coco with me and 90% of the time I am on my own.

Earlier this week we flew back to the Sates. Miami this time, a full 10 hours of enduring cramped seats, dehydration, intense baby entertainment and full-blown fear! Oh joy! In retrospect, it actually wasn’t bad at all. I am in love with Heathrow’s Terminal 5; the lack of crowds, helpful staff, clean loo’s and excellent shopping makes a huge difference when travelling solo with an infant. I did feel (and probably looked) like the world’s biggest lush as I stood at the bar next to our gate at 8.30 in the morning downing half a pint of Carlsberg! It’s my way of coping with the flight you see. Actually getting on the plane is sometimes a little tricky and so a soupcon of Dutch courage and I am up, up and away – literally! What must people have thought as they sat around drinking coffee and eating croissants whilst I fed Coco bits of egg sandwich as I downed my pint?

Once I am settled in my seat, deep breaths and I feel a little better. I am determined that Coco doesn’t inherit this fear so externally I try and portray an illusion of complete calm and serenity whereas actually the terror makes my head swim and my heart thump so hard it feels as though it will break through my rib-cage. My moment of relief is when the cabin crew get up and start moving around, in my head, if we have got that far and everything is OK we have a good chance of making it – plus, it means it won’t be long until I can have another beer! That’s it, I just have the two, one before boarding and one when we first take-off. It is enough to keep the nerves just about under control.

Now I have to focus on the next task – keeping a 14 month old entertained for a 10-hour daytime flight! I had chopped fruit, which I fed her intermittently (it makes her sound like a monkey), and a bag full of books and toys, which would hold her attention for the odd ten-minute time slot. I tried to encourage her to get excited about the Noddy cartoon on our entertainment system but the headphones were ripped off before they got anywhere near her ears and she then proceeded to wrap the black cord around her precious neck like a fetching necklace! The headphones were banished to the overhead locker along with the hundreds of plastic bags that contained blankets, socks and eye-masks. Seriously, there are potential hazards everywhere and you can guarantee that if there is anything dangerous lying around, Coco will find it!

Walking up and down the aisles is an obvious distraction, but let’s be honest, there is a limit to how many times you can disturb the people around you and those sitting in the aisle seats were getting visibly bored of Coco’s continuous “Hi’s” and “Bye’s”.

Throw a 45 minute sleep into the mix and a bit of turbulence just to keep me on my toes and we made it, landing in a hot, Latino, Miami. Our journey still consisted of passport control, baggage collection, car hire and the drive to Fort Lauderdale but I was so much better at handling everything when my feet were well and truly planted firmly on the ground.

Any suggestions on how to tackle my fear?

Go Team!

2010-10-13T07:09:00.001-04:00

I've done it again! Why is there no time at the moment to sit for just 20 minutes and write a quick blog? I miss you!

However, here I am and although there are a multitude of fun exploits I could tell you about, it would be wrong to write about anything other than our awesome weekend. Just a few weeks ago I told you about our planned fundraising event, the Eden Project Marathon, well it all happened at the weekend.

I have to confess that I am always a little shocked at how far away Cornwall is. A three hour drive with a baby is never the best, even if it is timed to fit in with sleeps. Gone are the days when the motion of the car would keep Coco asleep for hours on end, now we are lucky to get an hour and then we are relying on continuous renditions of 'Rosie the Little Red Car' and endless boxes of raisins! However, we made it without the stress levels being too raised, checked into our hotel, Angus and Coco donned their running shoes and we hit the Eden Project.

On the Saturday it was the Fun Run. We met up with the rest of the family runners (it's like the athletic equivalent to the Sound of Music) and Angus, Bridgie, Marcus and all the children limbered up ready to take on the one mile course. There was a great atmosphere and I had forgotten how impressive the Eden Project is. The mile long course took the runners through the Biodomes, amazing for the kids - "I am running though the actual jungle!" said my three year old niece who heroically managed to run the whole mile with no help! She was definitely the star of the first day.

The sun shone on the Sunday and after an impressive breakfast it was back to Eden for the longer races. Marcus, my brother-in-law, was to embark on his first marathon attempt and I would be running the half marathon. We were both nervous and more than slightly intimidated by the size of the surrounding hills. However, it was too late to back out now, we'd come this far, trained hard and it was the moment of reckoning.

I'm not going to lie to you - it was hard. Really hard. The hills were big and relentless, one after another. Even going down was pretty hard on the knees. Nevertheless, I actually loved the first 10 miles; loo stops were easy (you'll be pleased to hear) and I felt fit and strong but the last three miles felt like they were never going to end, I had literally run out of steam. They did though, and the sense of achievement I felt when I crossed that finish line was unbelievable. More, probably, than anything else I have ever done. This wasn't just about the physical challenge, between us we have raised over £1000 for a fantastic cause that we all believe will make a massive difference - it has got to.

Although we all did our bit this weekend with fun-runs, half-marathons, marathons and childcare the prize for momentous effort has to go to Marcus - a full marathon over that terrain is absolutely brilliant.

Great weekend, awesome achievement... Go team!

Birthday Boys

2010-10-01T07:47:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been a whole week since my last blog - rubbish!

Unfortunately I don't have much time, but I do want to make sure there is a record of some of the loveliness of last weekend before we embark on what I sure is going to be an equally lovely weekend apart from perhaps a little wetter.

So forgive me for being brief:

* Six mile run on Saturday morning through the beautiful (chilly) Dorset countryside with the sun shining, the birds singing and Buster running beside me.

* Yummy BBQ lunch with old friends and bubbles - does it get much better?

I should explain that there is a bit of tradition surrounding the fact that we spent last weekend with old friends. We (I say we because Angus and I actually share many of our school friends as we have been together since the dark ages!) are very lucky to be part of a group of school friends who are all still in touch. We don't see as much of each other as we used to but when we do, it feels really special. This weekend in September is always significant as three of the group have birthdays on consecutive days, 25th (Sam), 26th (Jase) and 27th (Angus) September! For as long as I can remember, if we have all been in the country, we have tried to get together. Unfortunately the group wasn't quite complete as Jase (26th September Birthday Boy) was horribly ill so missed out on the fun.

* Excellent dog-walk which included being chased by horses and coming face to face with a very impressive bull!

* Delish curry and lots more bubbles!

*A trip to Portland to support our brother-in-law as he completed his first half-ironman. An amazing achievement, we were all very emotional about it.

* The best Birthday cake EVER for Angus made by Bridgie, Hugh and Aurelia xx

Such a good weekend followed by quite a good week. I'll leave you with a photo I took of Coco yesterday having a ball on her new (borrowed) slide.

Enjoy your weekends and I will try to be more blog vigilant next week.

You've got a friend

2010-09-24T08:17:00.001-04:00

Why are we all such sensitive souls? I was watching Coco playing with her cousins the other day. She is at the age where she is just beginning to really be aware of those around her. You can definitely tell that she is that bit more excited and certainly more distracted when there are other children around. We first noticed it in America when Hugo and her obviously began to bond. They wanted to watch and interact with each other - not all the time, but definitely some of the time.

Since we have got home Coco has been surrounded by cousins and friends of different ages and she is getting more and more sociable by the minute. She is learning from her peers, from activities to words. In the last week she has been taught how to use a slide, how to draw with a crayon and how to say "no" - all of which have been taught to her by other children. It is amazing. But fortunately, there is only one emotion at the moment - pure excitement. She has no idea that some of the children at toddler group dis her because she is too little, she doesn't take offence at being pushed over, she has no idea that some of her friends and more comfortable with each other than they are with her because they know one another better.

I was so saddened to hear how quickly a social consciousness is learned. By the time children are at nursery it seems they start differentiating between best friends and just friends. Children can even identify "friendships" and "acquaintances" and are acutely aware when they are being excluded or left out. I hadn't really stopped to think about how it all starts so early, these judgements and decisions about people. These desires to fit into a tribe or a gang, to work out who your kindred spirits are and how we sometimes try to monopolise them and make them solely ours.

I remember friendships being terribly painful when I was younger. I always seemed to be on the edge of a well established group, usually entering it a little late. I always had a lot of friends, don't get me wrong, but I was always terrible worried about getting between people, offending people and not fitting in.

I don't have that now. I have some amazing friends who I love dearly. I am incredibly lucky to have old friends, new friends and family who are friends and I can honestly say that, although I do feel lonely living often thousands of miles from most of them, a quick phone call or email often solves that. But now and again those past insecurities raise their ugly heads and you realise, scarily, that you still have to play those same careful cards that you had to play at school and those fragile egg-shells still need to be stepped on gently.

How can I teach Coco to have confidence in her friendships and relationships? That she doesn't have to control them because people will choose to be there for her and have fun with her, but they are also free to have many many other friends, as is she. I suppose enjoying her own friendship is key as well, not needing others to be at peace and feel fulfilled but to sometimes be able to just be alone.

I do run, run, run...

2010-09-20T18:45:00.001-04:00

I mentioned a while back that I had started running again. I think at the same time I said that I would keep you updated on the progress of my return to fitness and promptly never mentioned it again. Well, this isn't because I haven't continued with my running regime but I have to confess, it hasn't gone quite as planned (not quite as rigorous as originally intended). But - these things rarely do, certainly in my case!

There were a couple of reasons I embarked on a new running programme. Those of you who have known me for a while may remember that I tend to agree to undertaking stupid challenges such as marathons, channel swims and mountain climbs. Although I used to be fairly sporty, I am not a natural runner - I'm just not built for it - which makes the challenge all that more interesting.

There is the vanity. If I'm not training for something- I will not run. I'm no gym bunny that's for sure. I need to run. I have thrown in the odd passing comment or two about the fact that I have been trying to loose weight over the summer. It's not a big thing, but I have worked pretty hard at it and lost a total of 35lbs since May. Now I've reached the weight that I am happy with, I need to get fit to help maintain all my hard work.

The most important reason for this latest is fitness drive is that I love pushing myself to extremes to raise money for charity. I give what I can to my chosen good causes throughout the year via direct debits, I pop the odd pound in collection cans, I donate my unwanted belongings to charity shops, but raising money by putting myself through a bit of pain and hard work feels like a good thing to do. I feel justified is asking people to support me because this isn't just for fun. Believe me - it definitely isn't just for fun.

This is the hardest it has ever been to get back into physical shape. It has been so long since I did any serious physical excersise that my muscles feel like jelly! Having a baby doesn't seem to been the best thing for my body when it comes to enhancing my chances of returning to peak physical condition. For a start my boobs are so heavy and droopy I am having to wear two sports bras to offer anything even close to adequate support. My hips are clicky - you'd have thought that a year on they would have fully recovered from that joyous stirrup experience but alas - no. Finally, the biggest confession, and I am only telling you this to prove that I am earning ever penny I am raising, my pelvic floor muscles leave a lot to be desired. I never, ever, EVER thought I would need a nappy to run at my young (!) age - it is mortifying! Now surely that confession deserves a pound or two?!

However, it is all worth it. Last summer my beloved father-in-law lost his brave battle against a brain tumour and it is for him that our family has decided to pull together and do something special. It's not just me going through this pain and discomfort - in October we are heading to the Eden Project to run in their annual marathon. My brother-in law will run a full marathon (what a hero), I will do the half marathon and Angus and his sister will be running the fun-run with all the children. Everything we raise will be donated to the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, a fantastic organisation that is dedicated to child and adult tumour research in the UK.

I managed a comfortable five miles this evening with some whopping hills, the question is will I be able to manage 13 miles in just three weeks time? Wish me luck!

If you wish to donate - leave a comment and I will send you the link our justgiving page

Caught in a support net

2010-09-14T19:56:00.000-04:00

Oh it's good to be back at the computer again. I can't deny that it has been kinda good to have had a few days off. Away from emails, even phone calls (we don't have mobile reception in our new home) and more sadly, my blog and everyones else's blogs.

After a tiring but successful pack-up, flight, move-into-new-house week, (oh and let's add a quick Christening and Birthday party to last weeks activities too, just in case we weren't busy enough) we are now completely settled in our lovely new house in beautiful (but wet) Dorset.

I have been thinking a lot today about support networks. I think Coco's Christening was the thing that got me started. When I asked a dear friend if she would be Coco's godmother she said she was excited to become a part of our extended family. I love the idea of extended family. I am very happy for my extended family to grown and grow and grow and it isn't exactly small as it is! I'm not from your normal (what's normal nowadays anyway) kind of family. I have biological and non-biological siblings. I have dear, dear family friends who I consider cousins. I have a godmother who is as much a part of my family as anyone. I have nieces who I love like my own children and now Coco has all of this support around her too.

When I had time to stop for long enough to absorb anything over the weekend I saw all of those people I love doing all of these selfless tasks just for us. From my sister and mother calmly pulling together a fab BBQ on Saturday evening to my mother-in-law appearing with a beautiful table decoration on Sunday. My niece taking on the roll of supper-nanny for the whole of the Christening day and my mothers best friend hot-footing it down to Dorset from London despite having a husky voice after bellowing Land of Hope and Glory out with all her might at the Royal Albert Hall the night before. Everyone making these momentous efforts for Coco was just amazing.

A support network is often something that is lacking when we are on the move and so I appreciate it so much more when I am home. Yesterday I was literally woozy with exhaustion and a friend invited Coco for tea at the drop of a hat. Last night my sister-in-law popped over for a cuppa and to offer some company on my first night alone in our new home.

It's the little things, the half an hour of baby-sitting, the offer to do a dog-walk or to give you a lift somewhere. I think, having not been around family and friends for so long, I am blown away by people's generosity and the sense of community there is at home. I know people for a start - that helps when you need a bit of a support network. I hope I don't take advantage of it too much over the next couple of months and that I can offer some reciprocal support, but it is lovely to have some time amongst people I know and love, like wearing your favourite sweater on a rainy evening.

I even took advantage of having Buster back in the family fold this evening and was braver about letting Coco work-out eating her yogurt without my help. His support was invaluable, after all I don't have to clean up after her, he will do it for me!

Here We Go Again

2010-09-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

I'm just taking a little break from packing. It will have to be a short break though as I am on a roll and I have less that 48 hours to get everything done, board our flight and wing it back to the UK! Aarrgghhh!

It is one of the only things I hate about our lifestyle (obviously I miss family and friends like crazy - but other than that), all the frigging packing!

You would have though I would be good at it by now, and I probably am getting better, but there is still a lot to learn and a long way to go before I become a master. At this very moment in time it feels like absolute chaos. Actually, not absolute chaos, organised chaos but chaos none the less.

We seem to have more clothes between the three of us than we have bags...

And most of the toys are going to have to stay here.

The things I can never work out are:

Where did all the moisturiser come from?
How do I end up with so many half packets of rice and pasta?
Do ANY of my clothes actually go together?
Do ANY of Coco's clothes actually fit her?
Why do I have such an enormous medical kit and yet none of us are ever really ill (touch wood!)?
How do I even begin to work out which toys are essential and which can be stored?
Do I really need all this stuff that "might come in handy one day"?

If I was a proper packing / travelling expert I would have a capsule wardrobe for both Coco and myself. We would be elegant and stylish yet space efficient - as it is, I seem to have a heap of clothes that don't really go together and I wear flip-flops with everything, not because I want to, but because I never really know what shoes go with what. I would love to appear on one of those clothes shows where they completely re-vamp your wardrobe. Surely there is some mileage in an episode that condenses a whole wardrobe of clothes (including shoes) into one bag?

As for Coco - she seems to be a weird size. Most of her clothes are still 6 - 9 months and the 12 - 18 months stuff is enormous on her. What is so strange about it is when you see her with other children her age she looks the same, if not bigger, than most of them? What is all that about? I'd be very interested to know if anyone else struggles with the sizing of children's clothes. The problem is, she is all out of sync with the seasons. It is my fault for being a cheap skate and buying clothes in sales anticipating her size in time for the next season (wrongly it would seem). Oh well, I'll just have to tell her that the baggy look was in when she looks back over her baby photos in years to come.

Anyway, there is still loads to do and I haven't even started the cleaning or painting over the scratches on the walls! I must get on.

Blown Away!

2010-09-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

Well - actually we haven't been and nor am I! After all of the excitement of the last couple of days I was really hoping to have a power-cut at the very least, but the effects of Hurricane Earl ended up being nothing more that a few car alarms going off in the middle of the night.

The preparation was by far the most interesting bit of the whole event. Yesterday Coco and I drove to Connecticut to pick up Angus and Uncle Gabes after they had taken the boat down to a hurricane hole there as a precaution. Our journey back to Newport was a little hairy, no wind but the most torrential rain. There was that sense of nervous tension in the air, something big was about to happen. I was relieved to get safely tucked-up at home with a fridge full of food, a box of candles and heaps of loo roll (Angus's biggest fear seemed to be running out of toilet paper!). I had spent the previous day cooking up a storm (excuse the pun) so that we wouldn't all go hungry - tortilla, chilli, muffins, cookies, hummus - we were ready for whatever Earl was going to throw at us!

I have to confess - I love a bit of drama. I hate that hurricanes can be so devastating and I am fully aware how dangerous they are, but the idea of being involved in something so powerful and out of control I just find electrifying. We'd been tracking Earl all day and reports indicated that we would start to experience the worsening weather from about 6pm. So, at about 4pm we donned our foul weather gear and hit the streets. Newport's shipyard was chock-a-block with boats that had be hauled out of the water in preparation of the storm. Those that were still in had literally battened down the hatches. I have never seen so many lines tied to the dock and some had even taped across the windows.

This weekend is a holiday weekend in the US and Newport is one of their busiest summer destinations. You wouldn't believe that a Bank Holiday Friday evening could be so quiet. There was nobody around (sensibly) and signs in shop windows read 'Closed - I've run for cover'. I loved it, having the streets to ourselves and the sense of anticipation.

We spent the evening going backwards and forwards to the window watching the trees... nothing. At 9pm we decided to have an early night as we suspected we may be up for part of the night at lease! Well, at about midnight the storm hit. I woke up because of the car alarms but Angus slept through the whole thing and I'm not surprised. We have definitely experienced much worse storms back in the UK.

This morning (very well rested after a full 10 hours sleep!!) we discovered that Earl have veered East and was categorised a mere Tropical Storm by the time it passed our latitude. However, despite all of this, why let the truth get in the way of a good story? I can hear the tale I will be telling my Grandchildren - "your Grandfather and I lived through the great Hurricane Earl of 2010, you remember that dear? Oh, that was a terrible night!"

The weather is a changin'

2010-09-01T09:21:00.001-04:00

I'm feeling very end of seasonish. Although the weather is still hot, the leaves are turning, the tourists are starting to dissipate, the 'fall' term is underway and the yachties are beginning to pack up and move on. The summer season in the world of boats is drawing to a close.

Don't be deceived by the calm atmosphere, on the face of it all is well but all is not completely plain sailing here in Rhode Island. We are all currently keeping a beady eye on hurricane Earl as it blows its way north, straight towards New England! There is every chance that the hurricane could change direction or weaken on its journey but every captain with a boat in the area would be silly not to make plans to secure their vessel - just in case. I will keep you posted on its progress but at the moment we could be in for an extremely windy weekend!

We still have just over a week until this little family of three wraps up its business in Newport for this year and heads back to the UK for a couple of months. With Angus back in town, and a few days of good weather forecast until we start to feel the effects of the hurricane, we decided on a family outing to the zoo. I haven't been to a zoo for years and Coco never has so we were all excited about our little jaunt.

Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford is the perfect starter zoo. It is small but beautifully kept with a couple of wow animals (elephants) to draw in the crowds but mainly you see animals that are indigenous to the USA (black bears, bison and beavers) all are equally as impressive. Coco seemed to love it giving frequent waves and overexcited shouts of, "HI", to every single animal or person that we passed by. There was a little farm when you could pat the horses and have pony rides and plenty of shady grassy areas to picnic and watch the world go by. If you need it, there is a small restaurant to buy food and drinks. Not that we did, we were armed with a box full of sandwiches and fruit so with our entrance being just $6 each and Coco was free, we had a delightful yet cheap day out. You can't ask for more than that really!

Today is our wedding anniversary (three years! Can you believe it?) and the sun is shining. Angus is at work this morning but I anticipate something delicious to eat and drink later - yum! I will leave you with my favourite wedding photo in honour of the occasion...

Shhh - time for sleep

2010-08-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

I have a terrible feeling that Coco is weaning herself down to just one daytime sleep! Is it wrong that his upsets me so much?

She has always been a brilliant sleeper, 12 hours at night and two good sleeps during the day, one in the morning one in the afternoon. The one in the morning is at the perfect time for me to get showered and dressed, have a quick tidy, make a cup of tea, check emails and read/write blogs, maybe even do a bit of work! (shock horror!)

However, during this week the morning sleep started going down to just half an hour (not nearly long enough to do everything I am used to doing). This lasted for a couple of days and then she gave up on it altogether. I was hoping that it was because we had been confined to the house and she hadn't used up as much energy as normal but we are back to our usual frenetic selves and still, as I write this I can hear her up in her cot chatting away. I just popped my head around the door and she is sitting playing with Bedtime Buster and telling him, what sounds like, a very interesting story. Perfectly happy but definitely not asleep!

I'm not ready for this yet! I love having her up and about of course but I still need her to have both of those sleeps!

Oh well, I have a wardrobe of lovely clothes and it looks like I am never going to be able to get dressed again. Well, something has to go from my morning schedule and it can't be the blog!

This week has mainly been about books. Angus has been away so I have indulged my book craving, had some early nights and devoured Larsson's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It was very good if not a little harrowing in places and I loved having that reading time again.

The rain meant that Coco and I have done more daytime reading than usual which she seems to have enjoyed more than I expected. She is getting much better at sitting still for long enough to read a book (without the help of a bottle of milk) and loves turning the pages. Yesterday, we stumbled across the added bonus of being able to meet a real life Spot for a bit of paw shaking. Coco took it all in her stride but seemed reasonably impressed.

Right, she is definitely not going to go to sleep - time to get her up and I'm still not dressed!

The sun has got his hat on...

2010-08-26T22:06:00.000-04:00

....I am definitely 'hip hip hip hooraying' as it has felt like a very long week!

Coco and I have been going stir crazy stuck in the house with the rubbish weather. The poor girl is completely fed up with just having me around. She is going to be elated to see Daddy at the weekend. I had no idea how easily a one year old can get bored when confined to a small space. Even going out to the car ended up in us both being soaked so I was wracking my brain for things to do to keep us both entertained.

In the house we played with balloons, played with bubbles, stacked blocks and knocked them down again, read books, sang songs and watched Peppa Pig. We attempted using crayons but they are still considered a tasty snack so we'll wait another few weeks before getting them out again. We made the effort to go for a couple of walks but it was just so wet! We went swimming a few times which gave us both a welcome change of scene but the pool was freezing! Seriously, Coco's teeth were chattering after just 15 minutes. We hit the library and met up with some lovely friends, again a welcome diversion. I have yet to take Coco to an indoor playcentre and this week seemed like the perfect opportunity to try one out but, unfortunately, they don't seem as popular over here in New England as they are back in the UK.

However, after four days of constant rain, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Coco and I turned our faces towards the blue, blue sky, shook off the dust, stretched our stiff limbs and went out to walk away some of our pent up energy at Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge, a favourite family walking place this summer.

Coco walked nearly the whole way with just the odd carry; amazing seeing as she is so new to this one foot in front of the other thing, and I was suddenly struck by how her independence is increasing daily. This photo summed up our summer really... sun, sea, smiles and self-sufficiantcy!

The day went from good to great when some friends rocked up this evening (to pick up their scrummy baby boy who I'd looked after for a couple of hours) with a bottle of champagne - just for the hell of it - and it was pink! Yippee!

Tips on indoor activities / games to entertain a one year old would be gratefully received.

Probably the most gullible person in the world

2010-08-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

That's me! I'm renowned for it. I call it trusting but everyone else seems to think I am an excellent target for a good wind up. The main perpetrator of abusing this credulous side of my nature is my beloved husband. It is like a sport for him trying to get me to believe his stories. You will often hear him sitting with a pint of ale or a glass of wine and a group of our friends telling them about, "the funny time when Louisa believed that..." or "we managed to fool Louisa into thinking that..." after such stories my humiliation is always the cause of much hilarity.

One of the best, (until the other night, but we'll come on to that) was many years ago when we lived in London. We were taking one of our frequent walks in Richmond Park when Angus turned and said, in a very serious tone of voice, "Did you know that there are 17 different types of deer in Richmond Park?". Now, you do have to understand that Angus is frighteningly good at having little bits of interesting trivia up his sleeve which he relishes peppering our conversations with frequently. I have no idea where he gets it all from and no, it's not all made up. His father was a brilliant historian so the story that followed about Henry VIII insisting on 17 breeds of deer (I don't even know if there ARE 17 breeds of deer) in order to vary his hunting bla, bla, bla, seemed utterly plausible.

The story was told, and then forgotten. It wasn't until about seven years later when Angus was in Richmond Park with a friend of ours. The friend pointed out a herd of deer grazing in the distance and confidently said, "Did you know there are 17 different types of deer in Richmond Park?". It turns out that I had told someone, who told someone else who told our friend and Angus's big fat lie got right back to him! Who would have thought it! So if you have ever hear about the 17 deer breeds in Richmond Park then I'm sorry to tell you, it was a complete load of rubbish spouted by my dear husband.

The other night we were walking home whilst devouring another Ben & Jerry's ice cream (Peanut Brittle this time - divine!) and we were comparing Boston and New York, which one we'd rather live in and so on. Angus, again completely seriously said, "Do you know why it is that so many of the Italians in New York are called Tony?". I am absolutely sure that many of you reading this are already thinking that you can't believe I fell for this, but he is so convincing! The story had so much detail, all about Ellis Island, the ships arriving from Italy and, here's the bit, "when the Italians arrived they had TONY (To New York) stamped on their foreheads and so became Tony." Again, I could see how it could have happened!

I fell for it hook, line and sinker. Angus could have dined out on my believing this one to be true for years. However, thankfully he had consumed just a little too much wine earlier in the evening to be able to keep his usual composure and a during a brief lack of concentration, a small smirk slipped out and I was on to him. It was a close call but I pulled back my integrity at the very last moment.

Please tell me that there are other gullible numpties amongst my readers and that I am not alone.

Mainely... we have been celebrating Birthdays!

2010-08-22T21:04:00.002-04:00

You will have to forgive me, I am feeling a little shell shocked and fragile after the last few days. Coco and I have just returned home (Newport home) after a fantastic trip up to Maine for Coco's 1st Birthday. It was the most perfect few days. The hotel was lovely, the weather was gorgeous, Coco was on fine form and everything went beautifully smoothly.I just didn't expect to feel like this. Everyone tells you that the 1st Birthday is a 'real milestone', and to be honest, I didn't take it all that seriously. It's just a birthday after all, right? Wrong! It is SUCH a milestone. It felt incredibly significant and I now feel terribly melancholy about the fact that my baby is growing up. I'm not usually overly sentimental about this kind of thing but this feels like a really big deal!

I am so pleased that we made an effort to mark the occasion properly. The celebrations - which lasted for an impressive 24 hours - began on Friday afternoon with Coco's first ever bike ride. As first bike rides go, I can't imagine that it gets much better than Acadia National Park. The scenery was breathtaking and the cycling not too challenging - a perfect combination for nearly 1 year old beginners! We did have to make the difficult decision whether to let Coco choke herself with her helmet strap (literally!) or travel unprotected; we opted for the latter but rode with extreme care and caution.

During the evening we met up with some of the boat crew for cake and champagne at the Bar Harbor Inn, a traditional hotel with a lovely terrace overlooking the harbour. Coco relished all of the attention and fought tiredness to keep her guests entertained as well as consuming a huge amount of chocolate cake! We are hoping that there isn't any significance in the fact that all of her party guests were male?!

The evening ended with a delicious meal at a little restaurant a bit off the well trodden tourist track. Cafe This Way offered an interesting menu and relaxed atmosphere for us to kick back and relax with Gabe while Coco slept peacefully in her buggy.

As the big day dawned, Angus and I were far more excited than Coco. She took it all in her stride although she did seem to love the present opening. From her In The Night Garden magazine to her enormous moose, each present was met with the same intrigue and appreciation. Angus and I were in a state of bizarre confusion. A year? Are you sure? Where did that go?

Finally, just before Angus had to rejoin the boat for a guest trip, we managed to squeeze in yet more cake (this time it was my less professional attempt which everyone was forced to enjoy) in a little party of our own, just the three of us, sitting in a sunny park.

With the Birthday celebrations complete it was time to wave goodbye to Bar Harbor, Maine and travel the seven hours back to Newport. It was the first time for ages that I really struggled to leave Angus - and Bar Harbor, I loved it there. It felt like we were enjoying a well needed holiday which was over far too soon. Ho hum - I did have a good little chortle on the way home every time I saw a 'beware of the moose' sign. I'm not sure why I found them so funny but I really did.

The Busters

2010-08-18T23:08:00.000-04:00

Today we nearly had a major family catastrophe! First of all I need to introduce you to the Busters. The most important Buster is of course Brother Buster - our dog at home. Then there is Big Buster and Baby Buster - two equally as cuddly fluffy yellow labs who are supposed to resemble Brother Buster. Next in line there is Blue Buster - he is the newest Buster and was bought as backup in case we lost the beloved and final Buster in the line-up... Bedtime Buster.

Today we nearly lost Bedtime Buster. He is Coco's special toy and is never far from her side. A gift from some friends when she was born, he has accompanied us on all of our travels and she has not had one single night without him. Generally, I strictly enforce the 'Bedtime Buster stays at home' rule to try and avoid him being dropped / left anywhere. Why I wasn't on the ball today I don't know. Actually, I do know. It was all my fault. BIG confession time now... I was distracted by Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. That'll teach me.

I am sure you have guessed how the sad story goes, at some point during our walk this afternoon (while Mummy was chomping away on a disgustingly good ice-cream), Bedtime Buster escaped from the buggy and it was feared that he was never to be seen again! Sheer panic swept over me when I realised he was missing and I hotfooted it back in the direction we had come from. I was overcome with a wave of relief when I saw a forlorn, grubby looking Bedtime Buster draped over a wall at the side of the pavement. Thank you kind passer-by who picked him up and saved him for us. Phew!

There was something I should have shared with you yesterday and I was reminded when I took the photos off my camera earlier today. If I don't do it now it may be forgotten and that would be a travesty as it is an event which is more than blog worthy and deserves recording even if it is mainly in pictures. With just a few days to go until Coco's first Birthday, Angus thought of the very best present from him to her - a boat ride! She adorned a life-jacket and hit the high seas with Captain Daddy...

More hours in the day - please

2010-08-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

I have to find a way of increasing my productivity. I have been thinking about it all weekend. I know in my last post I said that it didn't matter if we don't own a house - well it doesn't - however, (I realise I am about to contradict myself) we do need some kind of permanent base.

In just three weeks we are packing up and moving again. This time, back to the UK for a couple of months as Angus is going to sit his captains exams. Everywhere we go we have to rent and because we rent for short periods of time, we need furnished accommodation that even includes bedding and kitchen utensils. In short, we usually end up with holiday rentals which are gorgeous but very expensive. On top of this, we already own a whole house worth of 'stuff' but it is in storage.

We want to know that whenever we are in the UK we have a home to call our own, we can go into a wardrobe to find our clothes and Coco has a proper cot. She has slept in a travel cot all her life! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all, we love our life and it is the life we have chosen, but adding a home into the equation would make it perfect!

So, back to productivity. To be able to do buy a house, and continue living as we live, I need to increase my income. Not dramatically, just a little, which means more writing. It isn't just finding more time to do this, it is motivation and inclination! One of the things I have struggled with a bit since becoming a mother is organization. Right at this moment, there are toys all over the floor, I am still in my pyjamas and the house is filthy - I know, I am sitting here blogging! But blogging is my little bit of 'me' time and I see it as writing practice as well as being fun which is kind of work isn't it? After all, if I make my living from writing surely practising is a good thing?!

What I need to do is set some achievable objectives. So here we go:
- I will not waste whole hours of the day on Facebook! (I don't mean to, it just happens. I'll put Coco down for a sleep, have a 'quick look' at Facebook and the next thing I know Coco is waking up again!)
- As soon as I have article ideas I will write them down. (Sounds obvious but I don't do this at the moment and I end up sitting for ages trying to remember that groundbreaking idea I had a couple of days ago. Again, more time wasted.)
- I will work in the evenings. (Somehow I need to energise myself so that once Coco is in bed I can sit down and do a couple of hours hard graft, especially when Angus is away.)

This seems so lame, why haven't I managed to get my act together? More ideas about increasing the number of hours in the day would be gratefully received.

Pinch Myself

2010-08-13T17:45:00.002-04:00

This is what I have to do sometimes. Just pinch myself to check this life is real. Am I this lucky? I was driving back from Nantucket a few days ago having taken a day-trip there with my Mother-in-Law. Angus has been working away this week but the boat was going to be visiting this historical island for a couple of days and I don't have to be asked twice to go on a day-trip there. It is beautiful and I am a little obsessed with the whole whaling history - I just find it fascinating.

Anyway, I digress, we had a fabulous day on the island made famous by Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick', with a boat trip, delicious lunch, a couple of hours with Angus and a look around the Museum of Whaling. I was driving home with Coco fast asleep in the back, Grandma Flowerpot dozing next to me and the most stunning sunset-sky ahead of me when I was suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of well-being.

I didn't dream in a million years I would have ended up marrying my best friend. I feel so completely loved and adored by him and I hope he knows I feel exactly the same way too. To top it off, we now have this edible little girl who just makes my heart sing. So what that we don't own a house. Who cares that we live out of a bag most of the time. It doesn't matter that we aren't together 24/7. Is it important that my career isn't quite where I hoped it would be? There is still time to make all of these things happen and I really believe that it all will. There is no reason why we can't have it all. I realise it isn't always like this, but when it is, isn't it important to stand back, take stock and say "thank you"? Ah - big sigh. Very happy. Lucky, lucky me, I treasure every moment of this precious life.

We have wracked up the miles this week. Not only did we cover Nantucket but also managed a fleeting visit to Vermont where we ate enormous amounts of maple syrup and Western Massachusetts where we learned all about the Shakers. I need to do a separate post to really do justice to this road-trip so watch this space. Vermont diaries to follow shortly.

I wish you all happy moments this week xx

Video below as promised.

A Load of Cobblers

2010-08-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of this week I didn't think we were going to make it back to the US. I was feeling so rough that the idea of packing up and getting on a seven and a half hour flight with an 11 month old baby filled me with absolute dread. However with the help of Grandma Paintpot, who drove us to the airport, and Grandma Flowerpot, who flew out with us, we have made it and it actually wasn't too bad. Coco and I are still ill which isn't so good. We are functioning but slowly, a bit uncomfortably and with the help of four hourly drug cycles. Unfortunately, as I waved Angus off on a week long trip this morning and he was complaining of a sore throat. Whoops - sorry love.

We have managed to squeeze a fair bit into the time we have been back despite blocked noses. Our discovery of the week was Sweet Berry Farm (www.sweetberryfarmri.com) - a delightful PYO farm, cafe and shop just outside Newport. On a scorching hot day it was blissful to be out in the countryside enjoying a delicious lunch in an environment that just felt healthy. Some places are like that don't you think? You can't quite place your finger on it but it is rustic yet clean, homemade yet professional, laid-back yet organized. We have somewhere at home called Pythouse Kitchen Garden (www.pythouse-farm.co.uk) which I absolutely love and it reminds me very much of there. Not as 'English' obviously but the same 'shabby-chic'.

After our yummy lunch (baby spinach, asparagus, pine nut, sun-dried tomato, sweetcorn and mozzarella wrap!) we ventured out into the orchards to pick our own peaches and blueberry's. I have never picked either fruit straight from the tree before and it was quite a thrill to see the peach trees laden with fruit. To pick something straight from the tree and take a refreshing bit was simply lovely. It somehow felt very rejuvenating.

Needless to say, we now have an enormous amount of peaches and blueberries to get through so last night I made a Peach Cobbler for dessert. I haven't done this before and combined several different recipes I found online to finish with the one I will share with you now. It was so easy and so delicious I might just have to make it again in a few days time!

Peach Cobbler for G-Flowerpot

3 fresh peaches sliced
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
5 slices of bread (brown or white)
115g butter melted
150g sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of self-raising flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

- Lay the sliced peaches over the bottom of a square oven proof dish measuring about 25cm across
- Sprinkle the cinnamon over the peaches
- Cut the crusts off the bread and cut in to quarters then 'tile' over your fruit leaving no gaps
- Beat the remaining ingredients together and pour over your dish spreading the topping equally to cover the bread
- Back in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for about 40 mins until the top is golden brown

I could only get hold of some squirty cream last night (which I haven't had since I was a child and I don't think I have ever bought!) which was fine but it would be delicious with vanilla ice-cream.

Finally, I am going to to have a baby-brag. Not only does Coco do me proud with her amazing behaviour on all the long-haul flights we make her endure (this was her ninth!) but she has added to her first year achievements by officially walking! Having done nothing much since those initial first steps she now totters about the kitchen like a pro. Video to follow shortly.

A Happy Ever After

2010-08-02T18:01:00.001-04:00

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks that I really don't know where to begin. I have to warn you now that I absolutely can't do it all justice, the last 10 days have been a blur of happy activity! I am going to keep it brief and include lots of photos. So here we go...

A delightful overnight in Boston with my gorgeous husband, drank a bit too much wine and bought very funky sunglasses - for him I might add.

An uneventful flight home with Coco being an absolute dream although we were both a little bored by the time we landed at Heathrow. However, we were met by a very overexcited Grandma which cheered us up no end!

Bridesmaid dress fitting - it had to be taken in a LOT - which is obviously a good thing. Lunch with another set of Grandparents and Auntie Vicky. Coco and I were very pleased to see all of them before they dashed off on their world travels.

Remembered Grandpa, which we do all the time but especially over these few days.

Hen Party! - A weekend of fun and frolics at Park Cottage, one of the best ever.

Coco had an absolute blast with Auntie Bridgie and seemed completely unfazed by her first night away from me. Thank you Cowan-Deyes's for giving me the weekend off x

A joyful few days with nieces - it is always such a pleasure to spend some time with them and I hardly saw Coco!

A night in London to enjoy the impressive preview of Katie's new album. Stunning venue, electrifying performance - surely the recipe for success! Yes, I was Coco free - again!

Pub lunch and a long overdue catch-up with a special friend.

A long journey up to Anglesey but SO worth it for the wedding of the year! First of all there was some soggy hard work...

Followed by some last minute preparations...

But the final result was the most beautiful bride in the world...

And a sublimely happy couple...

Coco loved her first wedding...

And thank you Mums for coming to help with Coco. I mean, I couldn't be expected to look after her by myself! We have pretty much forgotten who each other actually are over the last week! Mummy who?

Ilm couldn't have been a more perfect bride, she was elegant and gracious and so in love - it was a complete honour to be a part of her special day. I just hope her motley band of bridesmaids lived up to expectations.

Now it is back down to earth with a bang - and a stinking cold - to pack our bags and head back across the Atlantic for more adventures with our baby, our buggy and the boat.

Life's a Beach

2010-07-19T08:48:00.001-04:00

What an absolutely lovely weekend. Other than Angus not being around to share it with us it was pretty much perfect. After the walking excitement of Friday (which hasn't happened again since by the way - such an anti-climax) I kick started the weekend with movie night. The Bounty Hunter is fairly innocuous, but I wouldn't rush out to see it. The best thing about it is Gerard Butler who I can't help having quite a crush on. It's the rugged look.

I also managed to finish the book I have been reading for the last goodness knows how many months! 'The Art Of Racing In The Rain' should have been the sort of book I leaf through quickly and easily but it took me forever, partly because reading does nowadays and partly because it never completely grabbed me. Lovely idea (book written by the family dog) but you felt it could have been much better. Sorry Mr Stein. So moving on to 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' which I have been itching to read for ages now but have this thing about not starting a new book before I have finished the old one. It is such a silly rule as I am sure I wasted an inordinate amount of hours reading so much rubbish.

On Saturday Coco and I hit the beach with a whole load of - wait for it - new friends! So exciting to have met some lovely people to hang out with. It is amazing the difference it makes to your general feeling of well-being knowing that there is someone just down the road who you can drop a quick text and meet for a coffee. It's not just me but Coco too. She loves having another baby around to interact with. For the four hours we were at the beach there was no stopping the babies, they were on the go constantly, swimming, playing, eating food, eating sand and eating more sand. After a tea of banana and animal crackers, because I was preoccupied by wine and socialising (another fine example of responsible parenting!), Coco literally passed out as soon as we got home and slept for a remarkable 13 hours!!

As if this wasn't enough for one weekend, the Sunday was spent packing for our impending UK visit until I became more and more distracted by the beautiful weather outside and decided to pack a picnic tea and head out on a mini adventure. I have wanted to try the Ben Utter Trail to the Stepstone Falls for a while now so why not seize the day? I have to say, the 5.5 miles was fairly arduous with Coco in the backpack but it was worth it. It was a gorgeous walk and the waterfalls were lovely. Apparently they are even better in the spring, they were quite dry with all the hot weather we've been having but very pretty nonetheless.

I have to confess to having slightly achey legs this morning! Is it a sign of age?

One Step At A Time

2010-07-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

I have to confess to feeling a little intimidated about my blogging. I was writing with such confidence but over the last few days I have been introduced to a whole new blogging community that I had no idea was out there. Don't get me wrong, I can not tell you how exciting it is to have new people reading about our lives and sharing their thoughts, I absolutely love it. However, it has meant I have started actually reading a lot more blogs and basically they are so bloody good! On one hand I am completely inspired and on the other I am wondering who the hell I think I am participating in this world of interesting, creative people? Much respect!

Anyway, I am participating and I have got news so I will plough on and hope that I don't appear too out of my depth. Coco, at the tender age of just 11 months, took her first real steps today! I was so excited I nearly squealed the house down and I am not generally a squealer. I worry sometimes that I don't get overly enthused about by beloved daughters achievements but today I made up for it. She has been doing one or two steps between strategically placed pieces of furniture for a week or so now but today was the real deal. Today, she was in the middle of the room with no support at all (wearing new shoes which I am sure she was showing off in) and she took a grand total of five steps! She even stopped in between each one to get her balance and have a little giggle. The feat was only interrupted by the fact she was clapping at herself so much that an uncontrollable wobble ended with her sitting down heavily on her nappy padded bottom.

We celebrated by sitting on the floor together and sharing a bowl of freshly made popcorn - most of which ended up being thrown around the kitchen.

Five steps count as first steps right? I'm not over reacting about this?

Short But Sweet

2010-07-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

I love our life, I really do. We get to see all of these fabulous places, make lots of new friends (yes, I am making some friends now!) and we are at least in the same country as each other but sometimes it feels like we are grabbing little pockets of time together here and there. Angus was back from a trip on Tuesday and then gone today, we had barely drawn breath and he was packing his bag again. Such is the life we choose.

It didn't help that yesterday was, shall we say, a little fuggy. When will I learn that mid-week drinking is never the best idea but mid-week drinking with a 10 month (nearly 11 month!) old is definitely NOT a good idea. With the end of a charter there generally tends to be a few celebratory drinks so Coco and I met Angus from work for a cocktail. Well, when has 'a cocktail' ever really meant 'a cocktail'? Three Bellini's later and Coco has been put to bed in her buggy and we are on a roll! A fine example of responsible parenting?!

Luckily, a swimming lesson yesterday morning helped to clear my head and I was ready to face the day.

We have had a serious change of weather on this side of the Atlantic, having seen no rain (other than the odd 5 minute downpour) for six weeks the last 48 hours have been wet, wet, wet. This offered me the excuse for some home time and the opportunity to perfect my sugar-free fruit muffin recipe. This is my third batch now and Coco absolutely loves them. They are a delicious, guilt-free snack and great for when you are out and about. She is even allowed them at nursery as they qualify as being healthy enough. So it is time to share it with you. For those dairy-free cooks amongst you, I have made them with and without the milk an they are equally as yummy.

Mama Lou Lou's Fruit Muffins

1 cup self-raising flour (or 1 cup plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda)
1 egg
1 ripe banana mashed (I've used 2 when they needed using up and makes them lovely and sweet)
1 large apple peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup oil (use a veg based oil. I have used veg, olive and sunflower and all work just as well)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tbsp milk

- Heat oven to 180 C
- Whisk together the egg and oil
- Mix the flour, cinnamon, chopped apple and sultanas in a large bowl
- Add and egg/oil and mashed banana to the flour and mix carefully
- Add the milk (if using milk)
- Bake for 15 - 20 mins

I make mini-muffins as they are a better snack size for Coco and the above recipe makes about 20. They freeze really well too!

Enjoy! x

Oh What a Night!

2010-07-12T20:38:00.001-04:00

Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, JACK - you didn't disappoint me. Once again, Jack Johnson delivered a phenomenal concert for his To The Sea Tour - and this time, it was even more special because I had my gorgeous Coco with me. The only dampener was the fact that Angus didn't manage to make it. When I realised that I would be going it alone, I nearly chickened out. After all, dealing with a ten month old baby alone, at a pop concert, with 19,000 people milling around is a little daunting. However, I made the decision - maybe not an entirely sensible one - that I would give it a go. After all, I could always come home if it all got too much.

Needless to say, it was all absolutely fine. Luck was on our side in that the rain held off as I don't think it would have been possible if both Coco and I were drenched, and what started off as a scorching day cooled slightly. Coco was totally over excited all evening with all of the people, the music, the lights and the attention she got from everyone. She was however, completely oblivious to the highlight of my night. Before going into the venue, I found a pleasant grassy area under a tree with a picnic table. There was nobody around so Coco and I set up camp for our picnic tea and run around before getting pj's on being secured in the sling for the rest of the night. Just on the other side of the fence was the warm-up stage and although we couldn't see anything we could here G. Love and ALO playing an acoustic warm up set. It was perfect. Then, I thought I recogized the voice and sure enough, Jack joined them for a couple of numbers - I was over the moon. I felt like we had just heard a little secret bonus track. But that wasn't it. A couple of security guards came and stood by the fence and said lovely things about Coco and then the next thing, a gate opens and out walks... G. Love!!! Followed by... Zach Gill!!! Followed by... JACK JOHNSON!!! They were literally about three meters from us. I just stood there like a lemon and said "say hi to Jack, Coco", she waved and they all waved back! How cool is that!

The rest of the evening just sailed past, right 'To The Sea'. The music was fabulous, our seat was really good, Coco danced in her sling and laughed her head off at the clapping and cheering and then literally passed out half an hour into the show and I still managed to strut my stuff, even though I had a sleeping baby strapped to my front. The only slight downer was that 'Better Together', Angus and my wedding dance, was in the encore and I didn't dare wait until the very end to get out of the venue, so I missed it. Still, I'm glad I made the vaguely sensible decision to leave early, it helped make the night a success which couldn't have been guaranteed if we had been stuck in the car park for hours. The other slightly disappointing thing was my lack of camera. I took the ticket rules 'no cameras' literally whereas actually it seems everyone had cameras. So no visual record of the night I'm afraid but take my word for it, it was awesome!

Best Burgers Yet!

2010-07-09T15:13:00.000-04:00

What a fabulous week! The weather here has been amazing, nobody was ill and Angus was enjoying his last week of family-time before work goes a bit crazy for a couple of months. If you look at your calendars you will see that last Sunday was the 4th July. A fairly irrelevant day for us Brits but here in the US it is their celebration of independence. When in America and all that, it would be rude not to join in the fun! I made a batch of proper American Chocolate Brownies (they were good but a little sweet, the recipe needs tweaking and then I will share it) which went down a treat with both Coco and Angus, they even got to lick the spoon!

We were very honoured to be invited to join some friends for their 4th July BBQ. It felt so good to go to someones house and be part of some family and friend time. We were made so welcome and met some lovely people. Hopefully, I even managed to get a play date for Coco and a game of tennis or two for myself! The day finished in true 4th July style with a magnificent firework display over Newport Harbour. By this point I was actually wishing I was American! I love the fact they have so much pride in their heritage and their country. "God bless America" is all I have to say!

The rest of the week has been filled with more swimming lessons (still a big hit), fitness classes, walks along Ocean Drive and Angus and I managed to get a proper night out. Yes, babysitter and all - I felt very grown up organizing a babysitter. We got all glammed up, I even wore a dress for the first time in goodness knows how long and I swapped my usual satchel-like handbag, which I rely on for all the paraphernalia that goes with being out and about with a baby, for a dinky little black number. The babysitter was on time, Coco went down like a dream and we hit the town! Our evening started at 40 Degrees North where we enjoyed the sunset whilst sipping Bellini's (no talk of children whatsoever) and then we moved on to a restaurant called 22 Bowens for dinner. OMG - probably one of the best meals I have had for a very long time. Mouthwatering steak with wild mushrooms and a leek mash. Simple but completely divine. The wine was equally amazing and we made it to probably about two thirds of the way through the main course before we even mentioned Coco. Not that we don't completely adore her but having an evening that was just about the two of us was pretty special. It did nearly break the bank but it was definitely worth it.

A quick Coco update though, I have one word for you - stairs. She has discovered them. Having previously paid them very little attention, on Monday morning she ventured in that direction and the next thing we knew she was half way up to the second floor. First time, straight to the top without hesitation. Then, of course, they were the best toy in the house. With an open-plan living space, there was no way of shutting her off from them so we have had to purchase a cage! Now she stands and looks forlornly at what was once such fun.

Yesterday, we shot straight off after work to our new favourite place - Gooseberry Beach. It is along Ocean Drive and enjoys still, calm waters thanks to natural rock breakers jutting out from the edge of the bay. There are gentle sand dunes with the impressive Newport Mansions as a backdrop. It really is pretty special. With picnic, brolly, swimmers and lots of suncream we enjoyed and idyllic couple of hours together before heading home to bed. Well, bed for Coco, run and Uncle Gabes for a BBQ for Angus and I. (The running is going well by the way, we are a bit stuck on two miles so need to start increasing our distance this week.)

Last night was the night I was going to go for the new and improved burger recipe. You may remember my being slightly put out that Donnie's burgers put mine to shame, but he had talked me through his methods so last night I gave them a go. All I can say is success! And - SO easy! None of this herbs, onion and egg that I had done previously, this is just pure meat. Good ground sirloin beef, salt and pepper. Go for quite a generous size and then really beat them into shape. I mean really hammer them. I didn't season them quite enough but they were still awesome. Thank you Donnie.

Goodness Gracious...

2010-07-01T21:05:00.001-04:00

... What a day! I am surrounded by sick people - literally. There is some sort of stomach bug going around our house. Coco had it at the beginning of the week but it seems to have come back again today and now Angus has gone down with it too. I'm not sure how many more sheets and pyjamas I can change. Just imagine if the washing machine decided to throw in the towel now?! I would be literally drowning in puke - what a lovely thought.

All is quite upstairs for the time being and both the patients seem settled. Angus is in the bath and Coco has gone to sleep, at last. It has taken two hours to settle her! That is just unheard of for her, usually you put her to bed, walk away and don't hear a peep from her until morning. Poor little thing just seemed so distressed. Lets hope that it is a healing night and everyone will wake up feeling as right as rain in the morning. I have everything crossed.

By the way, I decided to go Mac and I love it. The problem is there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to play with all the things I want to play with. iPhoto and iMovie look brilliant and I am itching to start experimenting with them but feel like I need a good few hours to really get going and it seems so anti-social. Maybe it will have to wait until Angus is next away and then me being a complete recluse in the evenings won't matter at all.

Our movie fest is going well. Since I last updated we have watched 'American Gangster' - absolutely brilliant, if you haven't seen it you must. 'Seven Pounds' - I quite liked this but Angus wasn't so keen. I don't think it needed to be quite so obscure, if they had revealed a little more before the end it wouldn't have been detrimental to the finale, in fact it would have improved it. Finally, 'It's Complicated' which I had heard was disappointing but we both laughed a lot and I do just love Meryl Streep.

We've had a slack few days with our running programme although, to be fair, it hasn't really been our fault. We did a really good 2.2 miler on Monday and both felt like there was a huge improvement but then Angus had a bad foot on Tuesday and I did a rubbish run on my own. Rest day yesterday and then sickness today so we've gone off schedule a bit. Hopefully we'll get back on track when everyone is fit and well. I did manage to do a wardrobe clear out today though and check out the pile of clothes heading to the charity shop because they are too big!

Congratulations to Rich, Lush and Jemima on their new addition - we were all so excited to hear of the arrival of baby Joshua.

I really am a Mummy!

2010-06-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

It feels like it is the most bizarre things that really make me feel like I am a Mummy. Not the things you'd expect like feeding times or nappy changing but those more random tasks. Angus and I were talking about it the other day and one of the things that we both agree is a real 'parent moment' is that ten minutes after bed time when you come downstairs, tidy all the toys away, clear up the tea things, put the dirty clothes in the laundry etc. It is the same routine pretty much everyday and it is literally just a few minutes of your day when you make the transition from family time to grown-up time and somehow it just defines being a parent.

I had another of these moments yesterday when I had to get Coco ready for nursery. It was her first day and a momentous occasion in itself but it was when I was standing with my permanent marker in hand writing 'Coco' on her snack box, beaker, bib and bag that I suddenly realised I was a Mummy!

Coco had the most amazing first nursery experience. She was only there for an hour and a half but she completely loved it. She's going to go three times a week now, just for a couple of hours, but she is such a sociable little thing that I think she will thrive being able to be with other children for a while. Plus, it gives me some time out! Yesterday I took the opportunity to do a 3-2-1 Shred exercise class. All I can say is OMG! I have NEVER hurt so much in my life... and still do! What a killer, I think I will opt for something a little gentler next time.

The weather is still beautiful and we were honored to be invited to the boats dock BBQ yesterday afternoon with the best homemade burgers I think I have ever tasted. I had thought that I was the queen of homemade burgers but I definitely have to hand the mantel over to Donnie - mine aren't a patch on his. He has given me his recipe though so I will have to try and replicate them at our next BBQ.

Looking forward to a sunny weekend with my delicious little family xx

To Mac or not to Mac?

2010-06-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

I need a new laptop fairly urgently. Mine keeps crashing, takes forever to do anything, mouse pad seizes up all the time and can take up to six or seven times to get started in the mornings. So, the question is do I take the opportunity to go over to Mac? I love my iPhone and find it so simple to use so have faith in Apple products, it just feels like a big change!

Great day yesterday, Coco had her first swimming lesson. She has been swimming loads and is very confident in the water but I didn't have a clue how to move on from bobbing around with her in front of me. Yesterday we did loads of games, used floatation aids and even started teaching them to kick and doggy paddle. It was amazing. She had a complete blast laughing and splashing her way through the whole half hour.

We were finished in time to make it to the boat for the second half of the footie. All I have to say is... phew! We looked so much better than previous matches but I am still very nervous about Sunday.

A rest day from running yesterday but back to it today. Both Angus and I are really enjoying it so far - long may it continue. We made the most of our evening off and the gorgeous weather and sat out in our 'yard', eating, drinking (Angus on wine, me on water as I am still on this ridiculous diet) and watching the sun go down. Another brilliant movie this evening - An Education - well worth a watch. (Thanks for the recommendation Mums and Lot.)

Having Too Much Fun!

2010-06-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

I have simply been too busy to sit for even 15 minutes at my computer to blog - and my computer is playing up but that's a whole other story - or keep in touch with anyone properly. Sorry everyone at home, I have been very slack but will do my best to improve.

Still no real joy on the local friend front but there is time and I am hopeful. However, I seem to be discovering things to do all of the time. I won't dwell on Friday too much, lets just say pub, football (boo), home for drinks with friends (yay) and then an evening in with a gorgeous supper and Coco Before Channel. For those who haven't seen it, you must. I loved it. It is a heart wrenching story and beautiful to watch and, of course, features another Coco! I am on a film mission at the moment. I have joined Blockbuster and DVD rental is cheap here so I am going to make my way through all of those films I have been meaning to see for ages. I have even made a list! The others I watched last week were Rachel's Getting Married - good, interesting to see Anne Hathaway in a more gritty role and The Gift - not so good. Kind of enjoyed it and kind of got spooked but we guessed the ending quite early on. Was expecting better from a pretty good cast.

Saturday was fun, the weather was superb and spent the morning hanging with my brother before packing up a picnic and going to watch the polo in the afternoon. I have always wanted to go to a polo match and haven't done it yet in the UK but I am so glad I went here. It did feel extremely English and very bizarre hearing American accents all around us. The American's sure know how to 'do' outdoor events though. The picnic / BBQ spreads we saw were truly awesome.

From the polo, Coco and I drove to the airport to pick up Angus. It is lovely to have him home and he passed his Celestial Navigation with flying colours, what a clever chap he is.

I am so pleased that Angus was home to celebrate his first Fathers Day with Coco. She obviously spoiled him rotten giving him a lie-in, cooking banana muffins for breakfast, buying him his favorite chocolate and taking him for a ocean walk in Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge (a good find - great walking right around the shoreline).

This week it is back to normal, Angus back to work, Coco and I doing our thing - we have joined a gym, signed up for swimming lessons and joined the library so we're getting there. But most importantly, our fitness regime started this week. Angus and I have signed up to run the Eden Project Half Marathon on 10th October which gives us about 16 weeks to get 13-mile fit! Arrgghh! We did our first run together yesterday and we were both pleasantly surprised at how well it went. OK, so it was only 1.3 miles, but a good 1.3 miles! Watch this space for our ongoing improvement.

Finally, any film recommendations would be gratefully received.

Where are the other Mommy's?

2010-06-17T16:16:00.000-04:00

I am full of burger and the baby is sound asleep so I am taking advantage of the peace and quiet to have some blogging time.

Having had a disappointing morning I am feeling a lot more buoyant after a lovely lunch with a friend. You see the friend thing was what was so disappointing about my morning. After yesterday's 'Momless Mom Meet-Up I set out today to go to the Baby Gym having been reliably informed that takes place on Monday's and Thursday's and you just turn up and pay. On arrival I discovered that actually it only runs from October to May! This is no good to me - I need things to do in exactly the few months it is closed. Anyway, I was determined not to be defeated and having spotted a group of Mums with babies heading into the library, I followed. Does this sound too stalkerish?

The library looked promising - a handful of women with children roughly Coco's age were sitting playing and chatting in the children's area. I confidently plonked Coco on the floor and started finding books for her and pretty soon the opportunity arose for me to strike up conversation. You know the kind of thing; "How old is your child?", "He's so cute", bla bla bla and then I jumped in with, "So I'm new in town and do you know of any baby groups in the area?". I thought this was fairly inoffensive and tame but your should have seen everyone shut down! It was bizarre! Feeling fairly disheartened I brought my friend search to an end for the day, how on earth do you meet people in this town? Thank goodness for a lovely lunch arrangement to help make me feel a little less of a Norman-no-mates.

Quick question - Coco has taken to throwing all of her food off her high-chair tray straight onto the floor - literally every bit of finger food she is given - any suggestions on how to stop it? It is driving me mad! She is much better today by the way. No temperatures so far, no Calpol and seems back to her old self. Good news for everyone.

We're Back!

2010-06-16T17:12:00.003-04:00

Hello All,
We are back after a brief trip home (it probably seemed more brief than it actually was), but we're on the move again and experiencing yet more new parts of the world. This time we are based in Newport, Rhode Island,USA. Other than passing through for literally 24 hours last year, this is a first for me and so far so good.

The flight out was complete luxury for no other reason that the fact there was an extra pair of hands - thank you for coming along Mums.

I was a bit nervous about our home for the summer, I had made a decision based on a few photos which had made the place look tiny, so it was a huge relief to discover that the house is actually gorgeous. It is small, but not as small as expected, and it is clean, comfortable, well equipped, beautifully decorated and generally an overall lovely place to be. Angus and I have an ongoing competition to see who manages to find the best accommodation - I didn't think I was going to beat the brilliant Antigua house that he found us but this certainly gives it a run for its money. So one all me thinks.

Our first week was a bit of a tourist gaunt and we enjoyed having Mum with us to do some sight-seeing. In just a week we fitted in Nantucket (my best day yet - beautiful island and has made me want to read Moby Dick), Boston and Newport. Not only that but we ate lobster, clam chowder and drank cocktails watching the sun go down over Newport Harbour... life is tough I tell you!

This week has been much more normal. Angus is off doing his Celestial Navigation course so we are trying to find our feet and get settled for the summer. Our calendar is filling up with 'Moms Groups', Baby Gym, Playgroup and swimming. I might even fit in a bit of spinning for myself and, oh yes, work!

I went to a 'Moms Meet-up' this morning. Excited about meeting some new people I set out early only to get there and find no other Mums, um, there is something wrong there. It did however lead me to discover the delightful village of Wickford. An old (by American standards) harbour town with leafy streets lined with traditional clapper-board houses that include the epitome of Americaness - a front porch! Some even had rocking chairs on them! Coco and I sat and enjoyed a cup of tea in the sunshine on the waterfront whilst watching the world go by. Not quite the Mummy friend making I was expecting but lovely nevertheless.

Unfortunately, by the time we got home Coco's temperature had soared again, it has been a problem for the last couple of days, high temperature after 3pm. Poor thing. I think it might be time to see a doctor, just for peace of mind.

My mantra for the next few days is 'I will blog, I will blog, I will blog', hopefully making regular updates part of our daily routine or at least a few times a week. So on that note... speak soon!

A Sad Island

2010-04-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

Antigua has felt like a very different place this week after the tragic death of the captain of S/Y Adela's six year old son last Monday. The shocking news that another child died the following day after suffering the same symptoms sent the local community into a bit of a panic.
Nearly a week on and we still don't have that many answers. Although the autopsies have been completed the Antiguan Health Authority say they are inconclusive and so more waiting. It is thought that the illness is viral and so contagious which is scary for parents in the area. Coco is in quarantine meaning that we are housebound, many visitors with children are thinking of leaving and I have friends who were supposed to be bringing their daughter out next week for the Classics Regatta who probably aren't coming. I don't blame them, we attended a community meeting earlier in the week to discuss the symptoms to look out for and what course of action to take should your child become ill. I can honestly say that I left feeling a fear that I don't think I have ever experienced before. For nearly 24 hours I was in a state of blind panic wanting to escape the island and never come back. I like to think that I am usually fairly calm and collected in a crisis but not this time. This time I felt terrified and didn't have a clue how to protect Coco from this unknown illness. However, with no further outbreaks I am beginning to regain some control although we all feel desperate for the families of the children who died.
My poor mother-in-law has had endure me being a nervous wreck for the last week of her holiday as well as not really moving far from home. Luckily we had squeezed a fair amount into her first two weeks so I'm hoping she doesn't feel like she has missed out too much.
On a happier note, all of this time at home has meant that the energy Coco would usually put into swimming has been channeled into getting active in other ways and over the last couple of days she has started kind of crawling. When I say kind of crawling, it is more of a commando crawl with her arms doing all the work as she pulls herself along on her stomach. It is effective though and she is getting pretty quick! This is not a friendly house for a mobile-child so we are going to have to remain vigilant at all times.
I hope my next post is a happier one and that we get answers soon.

Sussex University Reunion

2010-03-31T20:19:00.000-04:00

Sweet Potato Gratin is in the oven, baby is asleep, power is back on, washing is hung out (I love being in the tropics and being able to dry washing outside, overnight!) Mother-in-Law is downstairs doing a crossword and I have the chance to blog... bliss.
The finger, you'll be pleased to know, is much less painful. On Tuesday I had my first dressing change with Jonathan and it was complete agony. As well as the dressing being changed, silver nitrate (I think that's what it is called, usually used to get rid of warts) is painted along the cut edge to literally burn the skin away so it doesn't re-grow over the nail. So, so, SO painful! It ached all day and I went to sleep dreading today's appointment. It was nowhere near as bad as expected though, thank goodness.
Yesterday I took Grandma Flowerpot off for a real tourist drive around the island. We started at the fabulous Shirley Heights. Sitting above English Harbour, this was the site of the old Fort Shirley put in place to protect the Navel Shipyard in the 18th Century. The views are just stunning, you simply can't beat them. To the east it is just Atlantic ocean all the way to Africa. There are cross Atlantic rowers coming into English Harbour almost daily at the moment and when you see the vastness of this expanse of water you realize the immensity of the feat they undertake.
The islands roads leave a lot to be desired and after a good forty minutes of fairly expert pot-hole dodging on my part, we stopped at La Perla for lunch. This luxury resort is tucked away at the end of a long unmade track, so unmade that I am sure most people turn around, thinking they have taken a wrong turn. The restaurant is set around an amazing infinity pool which Grandma and Coco enjoyed after the meal.
More driving, more pot-holes and we finished the day at the village of Parham, Antigua's first ever port. Although it was close to St John's, you felt like you were in the middle of nowhere and definitely off the usual tourist trail. It felt like real Antigua and also, strangely, a bit like Cornwall!? St Peter's Church is a huge, dilapidated wooden structure on top of a hill in the middle of the village. We went up to have a look and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the interior of the building was far from dilapidated. It was light and airy with a ceiling that looked the the frame of an old wooden ship. Speaking to the church warden, he proudly filled us in on the service schedule and invited us to join them on Easter Sunday for their two hour communion... we'll see! Unbelievably though, we discovered that he went to Sussex University (same as me) to study and graduated in the 1980's. I know it's a cliche but... what a small world!
Angus is home tomorrow... yippee... and then he is in Antigua until the end of the season. I can't believe we are even talking about the end of the season but it will be here before we know it. Until then, there is more swimming to be done, more beaches to explore and coconut ice-cream to be found!

Bloody Finger

2010-03-29T22:08:00.000-04:00

So the finger saga continues. For those of you who don't know how it began, it happened like this...
Two months ago, when Coco and I first arrived in Antigua for the start of our travels, we were dropping Angus at work one sunny morning (actually I seem to remember it was raining slightly) and the task of assembling the buggy, as featured in our blog title, fell on yours truly. Although I have successfully managed this duty for the previous six months, on this particular morning, my fingers got in the way and the buggy ate the tip of my ring finger.
Luckily it was still attached (just) and the brilliant Jonathan at ABSAR managed to sew it back on for me. It was a nightmare though having to look after Coco one handed. Angus was flat out at work so I really was having to cope alone. Since then, although the wound has healed well, I have had several infections due to the nail regrowing INTO my finger.
However, today I saw a surgeon who has managed to cut away some of the finger so that the nail can grow out again. It feels like, after two months, I am back to square one. Bandaged up again, burning pain, daily dressing changes and, most importantly, no swimming!
Hopefully though, this is it. I will now fully recover and this will be an end to the whole sorry tale.
Fingers crossed!
On a happier note, Ranger won the St Barths Bucket and Angus should be home with us in a matter of days... yippee!

Ireei!

2010-03-16T19:05:00.000-04:00

Oh no…. this is turning into one of those hundreds of half filled diaries that I have in the drawer beside my bed. I will be doing so well, adding a short little insert every day or so and then suddenly two weeks go by. I keep putting it off and the next thing is it has been two months. By then I have left it too long to simply pick up where I left off and so eventually I’ll start a new one. Well I don’t want to start a new blog, I like this one, so I need to be more focused.

In my defense, since I last wrote I have moved our little family back to Antigua and then had Mum and Peter to stay for a couple of weeks. So I haven’t simply been lying idly on the beach not doing anything. In fact we have done so much I don’t know where to begin!

* A dream come true… cantering along a white sand of Rendezvous Beach with the ocean spray hitting my cheeks. It didn’t end there; we whipped off the saddles and rode the horses out into the Caribbean Sea for a cooling swim. It was one of the most fabulous experiences of my life, especially as I was able to share it with Mums.

* Time with Gabe, I’m so glad he was able to get holiday so we could all be together for a while.

* A night out! Only the third time I have been out since having Coco. I have lost my stamina though, I was home by midnight and I’d moved onto soft drinks half way through the evening. I didn’t even manage to last until the dancing!

* Jet skis! I am not a jet ski fan, in fact I have always been one of those people who tuts and shakes their head at the ‘idiots’ hooning around disturbing the peace. Well, I have now been an ‘idiot’ and hooned! I wouldn’t do it again in a hurry but I did bloody love it. I realize I am a bit of a speed freak.

* St John’s, what a pleasant surprise. I have avoided it in the past but we decided to have a tourist day and see the cathedral, Redliffe Quay and the fruit and veg market. I am so glad we did, it was so interesting and well worth the visit. I will definitely be taking our other visitors there and hope to get involved with helping raise some funds to restore the cathedral.

* Betty’s Hope sugar mill was a humbling experience and certainly didn’t make me proud to be British. The accounts of the mill during the time of slavery were shocking and sickening. Who on earth did we think we were?

* Coco’s daily changes, especially the new food throwing phase. It is annoyingly messy but very funny. Why use a spoon when you can shove everything into your mouth using your hands?!

*My first Mother’s Day was perfect. The only thing that would have made it complete would have been if Angus had been there but other than that it was just perfect. A morning walk and coffee (juice for me, I don’t drink coffee) followed by a delicious lunch at Harmony Hall. The day finished at Half Moon Bay with a swim in the ocean and a final gossip with Mum before her holiday came to an end.

These are just a few of the highlights, there have been so many! Along with a multitude of beaches, walks, swims, cocktails, meals… the list goes on. However, we have still managed to save some things for next time! Hopefully this was the first of many trips Mum and Peter will make to Antigua.

It has now been over two weeks since we left Angus in America and we are very ready to have him home. The last I heard, the boat was just north of Haiti so it won’t be long before it docks in St Maarten and Angus can hot foot it straight to Antigua to spend a few days with us before going back to work. Coco and I are counting down the hours until his arrival.

Ye Olde Florida

2010-02-23T12:22:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to have received some good blog feedback, thank you all and I hope that means you want me to keep writing?!
We have been in Fort Lauderdale for a week now and have had the treat of spending some quality family time together as well as the heart-in-your mouth drama of introducing more finger food and the oportunity to catch up with my cousin again.

Coco got to enjoy a trip to Lesters Diner, a full on proper American diner that serves eggs and pancakes with pretty much everything, grits are on the menu along with gyros... I still haven't worked out what that is yet. She was a complete hit and managed to monopolize the attention of our toothless waitress. So much so that Angus kept getting coffee refills when he was clearly saying 'no' and my eggs 'over-easy' were a little too easy. Although the food is pretty crap, the whole Lesters experience is one not to be missed.
Whilst on the topic of food, we have invested in a booster seat high-chair for Coco so, now she has the catch-all plastic tray in front of her we decided it was time to start introducing some finger food. She has experimented with the the odd floret of broccoli and baby crisp with great success so surely this was going to be a breeze? No one had prepared me for the terror of watching the stick of banana or avocado be munched up at such a rate and then quickly followed by wide eyed chokes. I was once advised that you have to trust they will clear it so I stand and watch for what seems like hours but is actually just a couple of seconds. Sure enough, Coco manages to clear the blockage, gives us a toothy smile and then picks up the next piece of food. I am a bag of nerves by the end of each mealtime but she seems to be loving it.
However, we haven't just been eating for the past week. I battled with an infection in my finger (I will fill those of you who don't know about the finger in over the next couple of days) which was agony. Seeing a doctor isn't as easy as one would imagine over here. There are specialists for everything and whenever I managed to actually speak to someone other than an automated service, they simply told me to go to the ER. Despite visions of being treated by George Clooney, this seemed like overkill to simply get a prescription for antibiotics. Anyway, Coco came to the rescue and saved us the vast expense of the US medical system when she decided to grab said finger during a nappy change and burst the infection bubble. A few good washes with some antiseptic and the infection and pain have pretty much gone!
For a bit of relaxation, Angus and I both enjoyed an afternoon at the spa with a Swedish massage. Complete decadence... gorgeous. However, I still find massages just a little embarrassing and I wish there was an international rule book. Shower first? Underwear on or off? Talk? Tip? I spent so much time worrying about whether my feet were dirty and if I should be tipping I never completely relaxed. It was still lovely though.
Nikki, my second cousin came to see us on Saturday. It was so good to see her and we loved being able to show her the boat. We even caught a glimps of the tail of a manatee which I was terribly excited about. I have never seen one and have spent many an hour looking for one so even a tail was something!
The highlight of our week however was our day at Ren Fest - or Renaissance Festival in full. This is a Medieval festival in the heart of Florida.

However, I'm not sure the dragons, fairy's, pixie's and trolls are particularly Medieval! Everyone that worked there was in costume and character. There was a lot of 'ye', 'hazzare', 'thee' and 'thou's' being spoken and some amazing costumes. Ale was drunk by the yard and turkey legs were eaten whole.

There were pirates, wenches, jesters and knights all wandering around setting the scene. Even the visiting public could dress up and some took it very seriously, although there were costumes seemed a little more S and M than 13th Century. This was an American Medieval festival though remember so it did feel a little like a cross between Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean, but such fun! We absolutely loved it, it was truly bizarre and completely magnificent.

Food time, oh joy! More heart stopping moments no doubt! Speak soon....

Mojito

2010-02-15T20:00:00.002-05:00

My first mojito since finding out I was pregnant and it was completely joyous! Not only was it one of the most delicious mojitos ever, but it was drunk on South Beach, in the sunshine, accompanied with an enormous American burger, on Valentines day, with my gorgeous husband.... oh, and my brother-in-law!

Only kidding Marcus, we loved having you around this weekend. Poor Marcus thought that he was coming to live it up in Miami and ended up sleeping on a sofa bed in our studio apartment. Yep, all three of us and the baby in one room. It was like going back to our backpacking days. However, Marcus insisted he slept better than in his corporate hotels and we loved having him so nobody's complaining.
This is our last night in Miami. I am fully 'Deco'ed' up and, I have to say, I would definitely come back here. Next time, I have visions of staying in the Hotel Victor on South Beach, bringing glamorous, sparkly dresses, and drinking cocktails in the super-cool bars with the jellyfish (one of the hotel bars had an aquarium of jellyfish that looked like a lava lamp). However, this time, I was very happy to wander the streets in my trainers with Coco in the buggy. I feel like I have got my bearings in Miami now. Next time I can hit the ground running.
Highlights of this trip were:
South Beach (I will never be cool enough for South Beach)
Art Deco Walking Tour (Really interesting, highly recommended. I love hearing the stories that your guidebook doesn't tell you.)

The Museum of South Florida (Florida has had quite a dramatic time over the past couple of centuries.)
Lincoln Rd Mall (Great for sitting in a cool cafe and people watching. Books and Books is a fab local shop, I'll leave you to guess what it is selling!)
Miami Beach Boardwalk (Great walk with the ocean on one side and all the posh hotels on the other.)

I didn't make it to Little Havana this time, that experience will have to wait.
I can't get over how Coco is taking this all in her stride. We moved to a hotel today so that is two hotels, two houses and two flights in the last four weeks but she is completely unphased. I'm not sure my feathers are quite so unruffled. The move today seemed hard and exhausting. It is the little things that you don't think about at home that just feel slightly more difficult. An example was trying to get all the washing done before packing and checking out this morning. You have to find change for the machines, you can't leave the machines unmanned... bla bla bla. It really isn't that much of a drama, everything is just not quite straight forward and today it got to me. Maybe I feel bad today because I was rushing around and took my eye off Coco for a second and she rolled off the bed... again. That's the second time I've done that. I feel so terrible and such a crap Mummy. I will not leave her on the bed ever again.
I'm going to sign off from Miami and will speak to you all from Fort Lauderdale.

Miami Baby

2010-02-11T15:32:00.003-05:00

My first ever blog posting! Who am I writing to and for? I suppose myself. If nothing else, this will be good for posterity. I can keep these blogs like a diary and in years to come, Coco will be able to look back and see where she went in the first few years of her life.
The Miami Boat Show started today hence that being our current location. I have passed through Miami several times before, the airport, a lunch with my second cousin who is at university here and an evening at the AA stadium to see a 'Heat' game, but other than that, this is my first real visit to this flamboyant city that is so famous with the fashionistas.
My first impression was that it is a city like any other. A mass of concrete but it happens to be by the ocean and has a climate that is better than most, but there is something different. There is something a bit gritty about Miami. A dangerous, edgy, seedy undertone. I get the feeling that everyone else knows the secret and they are keeping it from me. Those sideways glances that say, "if you only knew", but I don't know and nor am I ever likely to find out. Especially as I feel like I don't even speak the language! According to my guidebook, Florida was actually Spanish until 1821 which goes some to explaining the fact that I feel like I am in a city that is a Hispanic/American hybrid. That and the fact that Miami is the self proclaimed 'Northern Capital of the Latin World'. It's not just Spanish that I am hearing though. There is French and Creole mixed in there too and I certainly feel like I am amongst the English speaking minority. I wish, I think more than anything else, that I spoke another language. Not a bit, but really well so that I could actually throw myself into a conversation with confidence and purpose. There is an elderly housekeeper at the apartment block where we are staying. She has a hunchback and can't say anything apart from 'hello' and 'baby' in English, at least that is all I have heard her say so far, but she looks as though she has so many stories and I wish I could ask her about them.
I have walked a lot over that last couple of days. We are staying on the edge of Downtown and the Design District and yesterday I walked all the way to South Beach! The Venetian Causeway was fabulous, this strip of inhabited land right across the middle of Biscayne Bay. If I lived in Miami, I think I would live on the Venetian Causeway.
Today I decided to explore Little Haiti. I wanted to see the Botanicas, the shops selling items of vodou, and the Haitian women in their brightly coloured wraps. On the way there I had naive daydreams about wandering the streets with smiling women coming over to meet Coco while I asked poignant questions about Haiti and the reality of vodou. One local would befriend us, show us around and maybe even invite us to join them for lunch?! Wrong!

I can honestly say that I have never felt like I shouldn't be somewhere more than I did today. There we were, in the middle of Little Haiti, and we stuck out like a sore thumb. It probably didn't help that our buggy is bright green, but still, we were out of our depth. Nobody smiled at us, the streets were busy with people but, I'm not exaggerating, people actually stopped and watched us walking along. This was not our place and we were trespassing somewhere we were not wanted. Nobody smiled, nobody even acknowledged us, they just stared. Time to go. We didn't get to see the botanicas, we just hotfooted it out of Little Haiti and into the neighboring Design District where we seemed to blend a little better into the background.

Tomorrow, I am going to give Little Havana a go but maybe I'll approach that with a bit more caution. Wish me luck!